13 guilty of murder in protest that killed Maruti HR official
The Gurgaon district court has convicted 31 workers of various offences committed during a riot at a Maruti Suzuki factory in Manesar, Haryana, nearly five years ago.
While additional district and sessions judge RP Goyal pronounced 13 men guilty of murdering Maruti Suzuki human resources manager Awanish Dev on Friday, 18 others held responsible for rioting, destroying property, causing grievous injury and criminal trespass. As many as 117 co-accused were acquitted of all charges. The punishment is expected to be pronounced on March 17.
On July 18, 2012, a dispute between the Maruti Suzuki management and union representatives turned violent – resulting in Dev’s murder and the arrest of 148 workers.
The incident at Maruti and the legal proceedings that followed became a benchmark case for corporate India, who called on courts to deliver exemplary punishment to the guilty, as well as trade unionists, who accused the Maruti management of exploiting the criminal justice system to resolve a long-pending labour dispute. Vikas Pahwa, lawyer for Maruti Suzuki said the conviction of 31 accused vindicated the company’s position that workers had rioted in large numbers.
However, the defence team held a different view.
“The acquittal of 117 workers shows that the substratum of the case has collapsed,” said Rebecca John, counsel for the accused, stating that the convicted workers would file an appeal.
Vrinda Grover, another defence lawyer, said the police had exaggerated weak evidence to “over-awe the judiciary”.
The 13 workers convicted of murder were all prominent leaders of the Maruti trade union, she added.