Published Oct 15, 2026 | 3:49 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2026 | 3:49 PM
The deceased, Kavin Selva Ganesh.
Synopsis: As conditions, Jayapal must execute a personal bond of ₹20,000 with two sureties, submit an affidavit before the police undertaking not to commit any offence, and refrain from entering the village where the crime occurred. He must not contact the victim or the complainant, either directly or electronically, and must appear before the trial court at 10.30 am and 5.30 pm every day until further orders.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted conditional bail to Jayapal, an accused in the murder of software engineer Kavin Selva Ganesh in Tirunelveli district.
Kavin, 27, from Arumugamangalam near Eral in Thoothukudi district, was hacked to death by a group of men in KTC Nagar, Palayamkottai, on July 27 last year. Police arrested Surjith, the brother of a woman Kavin was in a relationship with, his parents Saravanan and Krishnakumari, both police sub-inspectors, and their relative Jayapal in connection with the case.
The High Court had earlier quashed the chargesheet against Saravanan and Krishnakumari and discharged them from the case. However, it dismissed Jayapal’s petition seeking to quash the chargesheet.
Also Read: Caste killing of Kavin Selvaganesh: Madras HC quashes chargesheet filed against accused’s parents
Jayapal subsequently approached the High Court seeking bail by challenging the trial court’s order dated January 21. His counsel argued that he had not directly participated in the murder and that, apart from the statement of another accused, there was no other evidence linking him to the crime. The counsel also challenged his arrest under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Opposing bail, the prosecution submitted that Surjith had visited a stone quarry owned by Jayapal to destroy evidence related to the case. It also cited mobile phone conversation records between the two and stated that Jayapal had spoken to Kavin twice on January 25 last year.
Justice S. Karthikeyan observed that, although Jayapal had no direct involvement in the murder, there appeared to be indications of his involvement in conspiracy-related activities. The court noted that the allegations against him primarily involved threatening the victim and helping conceal evidence after the incident.
Taking into account that Jayapal had been in custody since August 13 last year and that the trial was unlikely to conclude soon, the court set aside the trial court’s January 21 order and granted him conditional bail.
As conditions, Jayapal must execute a personal bond of ₹20,000 with two sureties, submit an affidavit before the police undertaking not to commit any offence, and refrain from entering the village where the crime occurred. He must not contact the victim or the complainant, either directly or electronically, and must appear before the trial court at 10.30 am and 5.30 pm every day until further orders.
The court stated that the police or the complainant could seek cancellation of bail if any of the conditions were violated.
The CB-CID investigated the Kevin caste killing case and filed a chargesheet before the II Additional District Court for SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Cases in Tirunelveli.
The chargesheet, filed in October 2025, reportedly based on statements from 83 witnesses, accused Saravanan, Jayapal and others under various provisions, including murder-related charges.
Saravanan and Jayapal subsequently approached the Madurai Bench seeking to quash the chargesheet. During the proceedings, the High Court also examined the issue of CCTV footage from the Tirunelveli–Seevalaperi National Highway stretch on July 27, 2025, as the accused claimed that the footage could establish whether Saravanan and Jayapal met Surjith after the murder. The NHAI was directed to produce the footage before the court.
Also Read: Caste killing in Tirunelveli: Court dismisses bail petition of accused in Kavin case
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
