Muthanga verdict: whose death counts?
The recent verdict in the 2003 Muthanga agitation case highlights a stark disparity in justice, as the court focused on the death of a police officer while ignoring the death of an Adivasi protester named Jogi. The article argues that the legal proceedings were structured to exclude the Adivasi perspective, effectively erasing the state's accountability for the violence inflicted upon the land-rights protesters.
Why it matters
It exposes systemic biases in the judicial process where state-sanctioned violence against marginalized communities is often excluded from legal inquiry, raising critical questions about equality before the law.
O n July 31, the Principal Sessions Court in Wayanad delivered its verdict in the Muthanga case . The Muthanga agitation was a land occupation from early January to February 19 in 2003 at the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, led by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS) under C.K. Janu and M. Geethanandan, demanding the government to fulfil its 2001 promise to distribute land to landless Adivasi families. On February 19, the government evacuated the protesters through police action, in which one Adivasi and one policeman died. The court found only one man, Ashokan, who has since died, responsible for constable Vinod’s death; the other 56 who were accused were held not guilty. Four leaders, including Mr. Geethanandan, were convicted on a conspiracy charge related to the assault on a surviving officer and sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment.
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