A Tirupur court on Tuesday awarded death sentence to six of the eight accused, including the father of Kausalya, whose husband and Dalit youth Shankar was brutally killed by a gang in Udumalpet some 19 months ago, considered as sensational suspected honour killing.

Pronouncing the judgement, the Principal District and Sessions Court Judge, Alamelu Natarajan awarded death sentence to Kausalya’s father, Chinnasamy,

Jagedeesan, Manikandan, Madan alias Michaelraj, Selvakumar, Kalai Thamizhvanan, and life sentence to Stephen Dhanaj and five years rigorous imprisonment to Manikandan. Kausalya’s mother Annalakshmi and uncle Pandidurai and Prasanna were acquitted from the charges. Shankar, an engineering student, had married Kausalya a Caste Hindu girl, which was opposed by her parents.

Investigations into the circumstance that led to the daylight murder had revealed that it was the result of futile efforts made by parents to bring Kausalya back home.

Chinnasamy reportedly got in touch with P Jagadeesan of Palani, through whom he arranged paid goons to eliminate Shankar. After closely monitoring the movement of the couple, a five-member gang, while they were coming out of a shop in Udumalpet on March 13, 2016, hacked them indiscriminately.

Cases were registered against 11 accused under section 120 (B), 147, 148, 302 and 307 of IPC and 3 (1) and 3 (2) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and 1,500-page charge sheet was framed against them, with 100 witnesses being examined.