Thanjavur: The additional district and sessions judge of the city People’s Civil Rights (PCR) Court today sentenced five accused to life imprisonment for murdering an accountant following a quarrel in a TASMAC bar in 2014.

Arul George Simon (37), residing at Fathima Nagar in Nanjikottai Road and working as an accountant at Bishop House, was drinking with his friends at the TASMAC bar located in Cauvery Nagar on April 20, 2014. Trouble began when two other customers, Selvakumar (27) and Dhanraj (34), both hailing from Kallar Street in Inayath Khan Patti village, threw stones on TASMAC bar worker Rajendran (60) of Keezhavasal asking for ‘sundal’. The duo also reportedly verbally abused Rajendran.

On noticing this, Simon came to the rescue of the elderly worker and questioned the behaviour of the duo. This resulted in a quarrel between Simon and the duo. Those who were present in the bar intervened and brought conciliation.

When Simon left the bar, Selvakumar and Dhanraj along with three other friends, Arivazhagan (26), Lakshmanan (26) and Prabhu (28), attacked him indiscriminately with a piece of wood. Simon who sustained a bleeding injury to his head was rushed to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Thanjavur Medical College police registered a case and arrested all the five accused. Trial of the case was conducted at the city PCR court. Additional district and sessions judge S Karthikeyan who heard the case found all the five accused guilty and ordered all of them to undergo life imprisonment besides imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 each.