Leelavathi murder

rdf:langString Leelavathi murder

rdf:langString Leelavathi murder was a high profile murder on 23 April 1997, involving the murder of Leelavathi, a councilor in Madurai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She was an active member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was murdered by the opposing member of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a leading party which ruled the state for many years. Her murder is also quoted as the first assault on a woman leader after the introduction of 33% reservation of women in local bodies in Tamil Nadu. As soon as assuming office as Councilor during October 1996, Leelavathi brought piped water to her elected ward, which was a backward community bereft of water supply. The community also suffered as they had to buy water from lorry supplied water sold at a higher price by a water mafia. She was murdered two days before the formal inauguration of water supply. The murder was prominent as the sentenced were functionaries of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party and were close to M K Azhagiri, the son of the then ruling chief minister M. Karunanidhi. The court sentenced six to life sentence including that of Nallamaruthu, the brother of the DMK functionary Essar Gopi. On 8 February 2008, the accused were released during Anna birth century by then Chief minister Karunanidhi in spite of firm resistance from opposition parties. Nallamaruthu was again arrested in 2015 and sent to prison on account of further criminal charges. The murder opened up several debates on the participation of political parties in local body elections.