N. Banu. one of the adopted daughters of MGR, at a sessions court in connection with the Vijayan murder case, in Chennai. File photo | Photo Credit: M. Prabhu more-in Eight years after the murder of K. Vijayan alias Vijay Kumar, a close relative of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, the Madras High Court on Monday acquitted prime accused N. Banu (one of the adopted daughters of MGR to whom he had willed a portion of his property) of all charges against her. A Division Bench of Justices S. Nagamuthu and N. Seshasayee passed the direction on the appeals moved by Banu and six others assailing the life sentence awarded to them by the Principal Sessions Court, Chennai on July 13, 2016. Along with Ms. Banu, seventh accused M. Karthik was also acquitted by the High Ccourt. The sentences awarded to all other accused by the trial courts has been upheld. On July 13, 2016 the Principal Session Judge convicted — N. Banu, G. Karuna, T. Suresh, R. Karthik, R. Dinesh Kumar, J. Soloman, and M. Karthik — under section 120B (Criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Banu, Karuna, and M. Karthik were also found guilty under section 302 (Murder) of IPC. According to the prosecution, Vijayan was hit on the head with an iron rod when he was returning home on June 4, 2008. The murder was apparently committed over a property dispute Banu had with Vijayan. G. Karuna, who was a police constable, executed the murder by hiring other five accused at the behest of Banu.

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