The difficult balance between the freedom to demonstrate and the ban on violent conduct was highlighted in a historic verdict issued by Sub-Judge Barshad Begum at the Valliyoor sub-court. In an attempted murder case, eighteen anti-nuclear protestors from Idinthakarai hamlet were sentenced to seven years in jail, reigniting disputes over the boundaries of expressing one's freedom to protest. While the sub-judge acquitted three major People Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) activists owing to a lack of evidence, one lady died during the trial.

 

 

The lawsuit was set against the backdrop of ongoing anti-nuclear rallies against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP). The fervor of the protests resulted in 349 charges being filed against protestors, including Idinthakarai village residents, at police stations like as Kudankulam, Uvari, Pazhavoor, and Valliyoor. The administration recently decided to cancel 295 cases, leaving 63 cases open.

 

 

The current decision was based on two attempted murder cases from 2013, which involved conflicts between opposing factions. The occurrences happened after two Idinthakarai villagers, R Brighton and his uncle S Ilango, declined to donate to monies supporting anti-nuclear rallies that had been occurring since 2011.

 

 

The protestors had been collecting a share of the fishermen's daily catch, known as 'therippu,' for church activities, while the villagers had been giving a day's worth of therippu each week to keep the demonstrations going.

 

 

As Brighton and Ilango refused to contribute and retreated from the protests, a group of 19 people, including five women, reportedly resorted to violence, hitting them with weapons and inflicting serious injuries. According to a complaint made by the victims in 2013, Kudankulam police charged notable campaigners S P Udayakumar, M P Jesurajan, and Pushparayan of encouraging the attack.

 

 

After a four-year trial, the sub-judge issued her judgement, condemning 18 villagers to seven years in prison and imposed a 500 rupee fine in each case. The sentences were to be served consecutively, resulting in heartbreaking moments in court, with accused mothers sobbing as their children stood by their sides. This was the first of the outstanding cases to be decided, setting an important precedent for future trials. The convicts were to be housed in the Palayamkottai jail.