Saravana Bhavan's owner gets life term for employee's murder
On Friday, the Supreme Court sentenced P Rajagopal, the owner of popular Saravana Bhavan hotel chain, to life imprisonment for murdering his employee in 2001. He killed him as he wanted to "marry" the deceased's wife. A bench led by Justice NV Ramana asked Rajagopal to surrender before July 7. This verdict came a decade after Madras High Court sentenced Rajagopal to life imprisonment.
An obsession ended in a murder
The case dates to late 1990s when Rajagopal was obsessed with a woman named Jeevajothi, the daughter of his employee Ramasamy. Ramasamy moved to Chennai with his family and worked as an assistant manager at Saravana Bhavan. Around the same time, Jeevajothi fell in love with Shantakumar, the man Rajagopal got murdered. Shantakumar gave maths classes to Ramasamy's son.
Couple married in 1999, sought monetary help from Rajagopal
Jeevajothi and Shantakumar wanted to get married but Ramasamy didn't approve of their relationship as the latter was a Christian. Going against her father's wishes, Jeevajothi married Shantakumar in April 1999. A few months later, the couple approached Rajagopal as they wanted money to start a travel agency. But little did they know that Rajagopal's obsession with Jeevajothi would turn dangerous.
Rajagopal wanted Jeevajothi to marry him, she wasn't interested
Rajagopal, who had two wives at the time, wanted Jeevajothi to become his third wife, reportedly on the advice of an astrologer. But she rebuffed him. Despite her rejection, Rajagopal pursued her. He gave her a phone and called her on a daily basis. At one point, Rajagopal also hatched a plan with a doctor, who told Jeevajothi that her husband had to undergo an HIV test.
Distressed with Rajagopal's actions, couple wanted to leave Chennai
In 2001, Jeevajothi threatened to go to the police but Rajagopal said he will "take care" of them. Reportedly, he told Jeevajothi that his second wife also married him under duress but was living like a queen. Rajagopal also clarified his intentions to Shantakumar. When the couple wanted to move out of Chennai, Rajagopal hired goondas to beat Shantakumar.
Shantakumar's body was found in Kodaikanal
In October 2001, Shantakumar was abducted and murdered. His body was found in Kodaikanal by forest officials. Subsequently, police filed a case under IPC Sections 302 (murder) 364 (abduction) and 201 (destruction of evidence), and investigation brought the conspiracy to light. Rajagopal surrendered in November after the case became sensational. In 2004, a sessions court sentenced him to ten years of rigorous punishment.
Rajagopal thought marrying Jeevajothi will help his business: Madras HC
The hotelier challenged his punishment. In 2009 the Madras HC sentenced him to life imprisonment. The bench of justices Banumathi and PK Misra noted that Rajagopal either thought that taking Jeevajothi as his third wife would lead to prosperity or "maybe he was besotted with Jeevajothi". Notably, Rajagopal was also accused of trying to bribe Jeevajothi with Rs. 6 lakh and intimidating her family.
