By Dinasena Rathugamage
The mother of Sivaloganathan Vidya, the Jaffna schoolgirl who was gang-raped and murdered in Pungudutheevu in 2015, says that two men acquitted in connection with the case pose a serious threat to her and her family.
Speaking to a group of journalists yesterday (7), Vidya’s mother appealed to the authorities to protect her family, claiming that they continue to live in fear more than a decade after the crime that shocked the nation.
Following Vidya’s murder and the subsequent court proceedings, her family was forced to leave their home in Pungudutheevu and relocate to another area due to threats and intimidation. Speaking from an undisclosed location, she said her family remains vulnerable and fears possible reprisals.
She recalled her long struggle for justice, saying that she had repeatedly pleaded in court for justice for her daughter and had received numerous death threats from individuals connected to the case and their relatives since the Jaffna High Court delivered its verdict.
Background of the Case
Vidya, a schoolgirl from Pungudutheevu, was brutally raped and murdered on May 13, 2015. The crime triggered widespread public outrage across the country.
Police arrested nine suspects and filed 43 charges before the Kayts Magistrate’s Court. The case was later transferred to the Jaffna High Court and heard before a Trial-at-Bar comprising then High Court Judges Balendran Sasi, Annalingam Premashankar and Manikkavasagar Ilanchelian.
On September 27, 2017, the three-judge bench acquitted two of the accused and sentenced the remaining seven to death.
According to Vidya’s mother, threats from the two men acquitted in the original trial continued even after the verdict, compelling the family to flee their native village and live elsewhere.
Supreme Court Appeal
The seven convicted men subsequently filed appeals before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court judgment. Before the appeal was concluded, one of the convicts died in prison due to illness.
After hearing the appeals, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences imposed on four of the convicted men. Another convict later died by suicide in prison following the judgment.
In accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, the Jaffna High Court recently ordered the release of Mahalingam Sasitharan and Jayatharan Kokilan, while reaffirming the death sentences imposed on the remaining three convicts.
Appeal for Protection
Vidya’s mother said that four individuals connected to the case, including those acquitted at various stages of the judicial process, have now returned to society.
Claiming that she and her family continue to face threats, she urged the government and law enforcement authorities to provide them with adequate protection.
She warned that her family could be exposed to danger at any time and appealed for immediate intervention to ensure their safety.
