Tension gripped the combined district court complex in Madurai on Thursday evening after two convicted ganja smugglers created chaos by hurling abuses at a judge and vandalising a courtroom moments after their sentencing.
The convicts — A. Pandiyarajan (23) and his brother A. Jacky alias Prashanth (22) — were found guilty under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for smuggling 25 kilograms of ganja. The contraband seizure, registered by Keerathurai police in March 2024, also involved Pandiyarajan’s wife, Saranya (20).
The 1st Additional Special Judge for NDPS cases, AS Hariharakumar, on Thursday pronounced all three guilty. Pandiyarajan and Jacky were sentenced to 12 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹1 lakh each.
Immediately after the pronouncement, Pandiyarajan and Jacky, visibly enraged, began abusing the judge and police officers present. As they were being escorted out of the court hall, they smashed glass panes in the office of the special court and allegedly issued life threats to the judge, declaring they would “kill him after their release.”
Sources confirmed that the situation escalated quickly but was brought under control by the police. Fortunately, no court staff was injured in the incident, though both accused reportedly sustained minor injuries during the commotion.
The Anna Nagar police have launched a separate investigation into the vandalism and threats issued against the judicial officer. Additional security measures are expected to be reviewed following the courtroom disruption.
