"Nearly blind" man acquitted of murder charge

A 53-year-old man who is nearly blind with vision impairment of 90 per cent has been acquitted by a court here of murder charge.
A daily wage earner 'Nollakannu' Ranganathan was charged by police with committing a murder in 2013.
The prosecution's case was that he had dropped a huge stone on the victim who was asleep on the pavement. It led to eventual death of the victim.
During cross examination by the defence, most witnesses could not corroborate their declarations.
A government doctor's version that the dead man's face would have got smashed into pieces if a 30 kilo stone had been dropped by a man (in a standing posture) with his hands raised turned out to be a crucial input for the court.

Police videographer, who recorded the 're-enacting' of the crime, told the court that Ranganathan just did whatever police wanted him to do.
Also, Ranganathan was 90 per cent blind and the alleged crime could not have been done by a near-blind man, it was contended. The prosecution was also unable to explain the shape of the stone used for the murder as well. Concurring with defence arguments, the court acquitted Ranganathan.
Since the accused was an indigent, the State Legal Services Authority had appointed former special public prosecutor V Kannadasan as defence counsel.