Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 29: The Supreme Court on Friday, March 29, upheld the conviction and life imprisonment of the P Rajagopal, the owner of the renowned Saravana Bhavan group of hotels, and asked him to surrender by July 7.
Rajagopal was convicted for abducting and murdering his employee Prince Shantakumar in October 2001 so that he could marry his wife Jeevanjothi.
Rajagopal was a provision store owner before going on to open Saravana Bhavan, a popular restaurant with branches within India and abroad.
The Madras High Court had convicted Rajagopal to life in prison in 2009 after finding the case “a grave one done with a clear intention”. It enhanced the 10-year rigorous imprisonment awarded by a special court in 2004 to Rajagopal and five of his accomplices — Daniel, Karmegan, Hussain, Kasi Viswanathan and Patturangan.
The HC has also apart imposed on Rajagopal a fine of Rs 55 lac, including Rs 50 lac as compensation to Jeevanjothi.
Case history
The case dates back to the late 1990s when Rajagopal set his eyes on a woman named Jeevanjothi. She was the daughter of former assistant manager at Saravana Bhavan, Ramasamy. Rajagopal, who had two wives at the time, wanted Jeevanjothi to become his third. However, she objected to the proposal.
In 1999, Jeevanjothi married Shantakumar, a former tuition teacher who had joined his company. Rajagopal had threatened the couple to break off the marriage. But the couple refused to heed to his threats.
On October 1, 2001, the couple filed a complaint with the local police saying they were abducted by Rajagopal’s gang and intimidated. The same month, Shantakumar was kidnapped from Chennai and taken to Kodaikanal. He was murdered the same day.
Shanthakumar’s body was found by officials from the Forest Department inside the Tiger Chola forests. According to postmortem reports, he had been strangulated.
Rajagopal surrendered on November 23 that year after the case became sensational. He got bail on July 15, 2003.
He was later accused of attempting to bribe Jeevanjothi with Rs six lac and intimidating her family.
Saravana Bhavan, well-known restaurant chain, has 39 outlets in 20 countries including the US, the UK, France and Australia. There are 43 restaurants in India including in Delhi.