86-year-old man arrested as SC upholds conviction in Hindu Munnani activist murder case

An 86-year-old man, sentenced to life for a Hindu Munnani activist's murder 27 years ago and granted bail later, was arrested here and sent to jail Tuesday after the Supreme Court recently upheld his conviction, police said.

Bilal Hajiyar was produced before 5th Additional District Judge T Malarvalantina who ordered him to be lodged in the central jail for serving the sentence.

Hajiyar, who was 59 then, and 10 others had been arrested on the charge of killing the Munnani activist, Shiva, on September 5, 1991. The trial court had in 2000 sentenced eight of them, including Hajiyar, to life imprisonment and acquitted two others.

The eight filed appeals in the Madras High Court, which in 2008 rejected them and upheld the sessions court order. Challenging this, they moved the Supreme Court.

During the pendency of the appeals, Hajiyar was granted bail considering his age. On October 10 last, the apex court upheld the verdict of the high court following which police arrested Hajiyar Tuesday.

Hajiyar was produced before 5th Additional District Judge T Malarvalantina who ordered him to be lodged in the central jail for serving the sentence.