New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has confirmed the death sentence for three AIADMK members for setting a bus on fire in February, 2000, in which three college students were killed.
(Watch: Her daughter died in fire in college bus)The Supreme Court described the attack as "barbaric and heinous and a crime against society." It also condemned the police for not helping the students on board the bus. "At the time of the incident, police media were present at the place of incident. None of them came for help. The police should not have been silent. Why the police didn't help?" asked the court.
On that day, party chief Jayalalithaa had been sentenced in a corruption case and protesting party workers set a university bus on fire.
There were 47 students in the bus, they were on their way home. Teachers begged the party men to stop but they didn't.
Forty four students escaped somehow but Kokilavani, Hemalatha, and Gayathri were charred to death.
"The verdict has been arrived at after 10 years. We expected the case to conclude in three years. But we are happy. Justice has been delivered," said Veerasamy, father of one of the victims.
It was a tough battle to win.
In 2001, Jayalalithaa had become the chief minister and suddenly, witnesses had started turning hostile. Case diaries went missing and it was about to be closed.
But Veerasamy didn't give up. He petition led to a re-trial.
While there's a sense of justice after 10 long years, families of victims have just one request - there should be no question of clemency for the perpetrators.
"If clemency is granted in this case, no one will ever fear the law," said Kasi Ammal, mother of one of the victims.
The death sentence had first been given by a trial court in Salem and was then upheld by the Madras High Court in 2007.