The Special Court for the trial of cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Coimbatore on Friday (October 24, 2025) awarded double life imprisonment to a man for murdering a farm labourer belonging to a Scheduled Caste community in Coimbatore in 2020.
Judge K. Vivekananthan awarded the punishment to S. Perumal, who worked in a farm near Kuniyamuthur, for murdering Ayyar, also a labourer in another farm on Sundakamuthur Main Road.
According to the police, Perumal, who belonged to a Backward Class community, had borrowed ₹5,000 from Ayyar. They had a quarrel over the money at the farm on Sundakkamuthur Main Road on May 17, 2020. Perumal assaulted Ayyar with a sickle, after using casteiest slurs, in front of the latter’s wife Mahadevi. Ayyar died at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital 10 days later.
The court found Perumal guilty and awarded life imprisonment for offence under Section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code and a fine of ₹1,000. It also awarded him a second life term for offence under Section 3(2)(v) of SC/ST Act read with 302 of IPC, along with a fine of ₹1,000.