In a landmark judgment, a session court in Karnataka, India, has handed down life sentences to 98 individuals in a mass conviction for atrocities committed against Dalits. This unprecedented ruling marks the first time such a large number of defendants have been collectively sentenced in cases related to caste-based violence.
The case dates back to an incident on August 29, 2014, in the village of Marakumbi, Gangavati taluk, where numerous Dalit homes were set ablaze. The attack extended to imposing restrictions on Dalits, including bans from local salons and denying them the ability to purchase goods from grocery stores. Following the violence, the area resembled a militarized zone for three months due to heavy police deployment.
Presided over by Justice Chandrashekhar C, the court’s decision concluded a lengthy legal battle spanning nearly a decade. A total of 101 individuals were originally convicted, though three received a reduced sentence of five years each due to different charges. Remarkably, some of the accused also belonged to the Dalit community, complicating the legal proceedings as the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act could not be applied to them.
The state’s prosecution highlighted that initially, charges were brought against 117 individuals, underscoring the extensive nature of the involvement and the gravity of the offenses. The violence in Marakumbi prompted significant activism and advocacy by the State Dalit Rights Committee, which has been pivotal in bringing justice to the victims.
