Three men freed on murder charge

SHAH ALAM: Three men escaped the noose today when they were acquitted and discharged on a murder charge without calling for their defence.
Judge Datuk Ghazali Cha ordered their release after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima case against M. Paramaguru, 41, K. Alagasuveeran, 42, and R. Sathies, 33.
They were represented by lawyer Datuk Hariharan Tara Singh, while deputy public prosecutors Mahadhir Mohd Khairudin and T. Deepa Nair prosecuted.
In the judgment, Ghazali said prosecution's dependence on circumstantial evidence was not safe and not strong enough to proof a prima facie case against the three men.
On the murder motive, he said, it was not on the burden of the defence to prove it and the failure by the defence to establish a motive did not affect the case.
"At the end of the prosecution case, the court finds that the prosecution brought only an evidence on mere suspicion that the three accused were involved in the crime.
"Suspicion is not strong enough to prove a case as required by the law.
"Based on that ground, the court is satisfied that the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case and hence, the three accused are acquitted and discharged of teh charge without being called to enter their defence," he said.
Paramaguru, Alagasuveeran and Sathies, who are in business, were charged with another person still at large, with murdering R. Manogaran, 34, in an undergrowth at Batu 34, Jalan Dengkil / Banting near here, between 12.44pm and 8pm on Aug 22, 2015.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, and faced the mandatory death sentence, if found guilty. — Bernama