Double life sentence for Premananda

DECCAN HERALD Thursday, August 21, 1997 DH News Service CHENNAI, Aug 20

In a sensational judgment, controversial godman Premananda was today convicted of rape and murder and awarded double life imprisonment and a cumulative fine of Rs.66.4 lakh. Pudukottai District and Sessions Judge R Banumathi also ruled that the 46-year-old godman should undergo the life sentences consecutively. He should undergo rigorous imprisonment for a further period of 32 years and nine months if he failed to pay the fine, the judge added.

Premananda, a Kandyan Tamil from Sri Lanka who set up an 'ashram` near Tiruchi in the mid-`80s, was found guilty of raping 13 inmates of his ashram and murdering a disciple, Ravi. The victims were all Sri Lankan Tamils. Along with Premananda, his chief disciple Kamalananda was also awarded life imprisonment and a fine of Rs.12,500 for abetting the crimes and tampering with evidence. The judge said Kamalananda should undergo a further threeyears` RI if he failed to pay the fine.

Kamalananda`s wife, Dr Chandradevi, was found guilty of performing abortions on the rape victims and was sentenced to imprisonment for two years and seven months. But, as she had already spent that period as an undertrial, the judge ordered that she be set free upon paying a fine of Rs.30,000. The judge also awarded life sentence to four other co-accused, all disciplesof Premananda. They were - Balendran, Mayilvahanan, Nandakumar and Satish. While Balendran was fined Rs.10,000, others were ordered to pay Rs.12,000 each. The judge said the fines collected should be used to pay compensation of Rs.5 lakh each to the 13 rape victims. The judge said the convicted prisoners would not be entitled to any remission considering the heinous nature of the crimes committed.

The judge delivered the verdict in a packed courthall where the godman and other accused were produced. Activists of some women`s organisations raised slogans against the godman when he was brought to the court. As many as 49 prosecution witnesses and 64 defence witnesses were examinedin the case which came to light after one of the victims, Sureshkumari, escaped from the ashram and exposed the sex scandal in early 1994.

Prominent among the prosecution witnesses was forensic expert Jayaprakash who established the identity of murder victim Ravi from a skull recovered from the ashram. The prosecution also roped in as witnesses several doctors in Tiruchi and Pudukottai who had attended on the girls raped by Premananda. One of the victims, Aruljothi, became pregnant and a DNA test done in Hyderabad established that Premananda was the culprit.Noted criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani appeared for Premananda who was arrested along with eight others in November 1994. Two of the accused later turned approvers. Premananda later told newsmen that he would appeal against the judgment.