Chennai, Nov 13 (IANS) In a dramatic courtroom scene on the Madras High Court campus, history-sheeter ‘Karukka’ Vinoth attempted to hurl his footwear at the judge presiding over a separate criminal case on Thursday, just a day after he was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in the 2023 petrol bomb attack outside Raj Bhavan.

Vinoth, a repeat offender with multiple cases against him, had been convicted on Wednesday by the Special Court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases in Poonamallee.

Judge T. Chandrasekaran found him guilty of hurling a petrol bomb at Raj Bhavan Gate-I on October 25, 2023.

The court sentenced him to ten years of rigorous imprisonment, noting the gravity of the attack and his involvement in similar past incidents.

On Thursday, Vinoth was escorted from the Central Prison, Puzhal, to the Sixth Additional Sessions Court located on the Madras High Court campus.

He was to appear for trial in another case filed against him, this time for a petrol bomb attack on a Tasmac outlet in T. Nagar, an incident that took place before the Raj Bhavan attack.

According to court sources, Vinoth appeared agitated right from the time he was brought inside the courtroom of Sixth Additional Sessions Judge Pandiarajan. As proceedings were about to begin, he suddenly shouted that the 10-year sentence awarded to him in the Raj Bhavan case was “too harsh” and claimed he was being unfairly targeted.

Before court staff and police personnel could react, he pulled off a slipper and attempted to throw it towards the judge.

The footwear did not reach the judge’s dais, and alert police officers immediately overpowered Vinoth, restraining him before removing him from the courtroom.

The unexpected outburst caused brief panic in the court hall but no one was injured.

Following the incident, Judge Pandiarajan expressed displeasure over the accused’s conduct and instructed prison authorities to ensure stringent security arrangements during future hearings.

The court also ordered that Vinoth be produced for all subsequent proceedings only through video conferencing to avoid further disruptions or security risks.

Officials said that an internal report would be submitted on the security lapse, and additional charges may be considered depending on the enquiry outcome.

The T. Nagar petrol bomb case continues to remain under trial, even as Vinoth begins serving his 10-year sentence in the Raj Bhavan attack.

—IANS

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