Lakshmikanthan Murder Case
Encyclopedia
The Lakshmikanthan murder case was a high-profile criminal trial which was conducted in the then Madras Presidency
between November 1944 and April 1947. The cause of the trial was the murder of C. N. Lakshmikanthan, a Tamil film journalist with a hoary
past. Lakshmikanthan was stabbed in Vepery, Madras on November 7, 1944 and he died the next morning in General Hospital, Madras. A criminal case was filed and a series of suspects were arrested. The suspects included Tamil film actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
and N. S. Krishnan
and director S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
. While Sreeramulu Naidu was acquitted, Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and Krishnan were found guilty and subsequently convicted. Bhagavathar and Krishnan appealed to the Madras High Court
but their appeals were turned down. The duo remained in jail until 1947, when an appeal to the Privy Council was successful and the Council directed the sessions court to make a fresh retrial. Both Bhagavathar and Krishnan were found to be innocent and acquitted. The case remains unsolved to the present day and the actual perpetuators of the murder were never found.
The arrest completely broke Bhagavathar's morale. He lost all his money and died in the year 1959 in penury. Krishnan, however, did a few movies till his death and some of them were successful.
. His foray into journalism began in 1943 when he launched a film weekly called "Cinema Thoothu" which was extremely successful. He wrote extensive columns devoted to the personal lives of some of the top film actors and actresses of the day aimed at maligning their image in society. Many actors and actresses responded by paying large amounts of money in order to "buy" his silence. As a result, Lakshmikanthan set up a prosperous vocation.
Eventually, matters reached a standstill when film actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
and N. S. Krishnan
and film director Sreeramulu Naidu submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Madras, Arthur Oswald James Hope
requesting him to revoke the license for the magazine. Hope obliged and the license for the magazine was cancelled. Lakshmikanthan tried to run the magazine with forged documents but after a few months, he was forced to close shop.
Unfazed, Lakshmikanthan set up a new magazine called "Hindu Nesan" in which he continued his scandalous stories on Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Krishnan and a few other top actors, actresses and moviepersons of the day. The tactics paid huge dividends and Lakshmikanthan purchased his own printing press.
writes that Lakshmikanthan had a dark past with a criminal record. As a young man, Lakshmikanthan desired to become a lawyer but could not afford it as his family was not well-off. However, Lakshmikanthan, with his sufficient knowledge of law, managed to establish himself as a "tout". A tout was someone who brought a case to a lawyer for money, but at times, even forged documents or signatures for a particular sum. Lakshmikanthan was successful for sometime, but was eventually caught and convicted for forgery. Lakshmikanthan tried to escape but was captured and imprisoned on a 7-year term at Rajahmundry
jail. He tried to escape once again, but was caught and deported to the Andamans. Lakshmikanthan was eventually released when the islands came under Japanese occupation during the Second World War. He returned to India and established himself as a journalist.
in a cycle-rickshaw, Lakshmikanthan was attacked by a group of unknown assailants one of whom stabbed him with a knife. The bleeding Lakshmikanthan, however, managed to garner enough strength to walk all the way to the lawyer's house, who listened to Lakshmikanthan's description of the incident and then, sent him to General Hospital, Madras in the company of his friend, Mr. Brew, an Anglo-Indian.
On the way, Lakshmikanthan requested the rickshaw-driver to stop at Vepery police station to file a complaint against the assailants. At about that time, Mr. Brew took leave of him. Profusely bleeding and unable to move, Lakshmikanthan dictated his description of the incident while sitting in the rickshaw while inspector Krishnan Nambiyar wrote it down in a piece of paper.
At the General Hospital, Lakshmikanthan was admitted to the Wenlock Ward when bleeding in the abdomen did not cease. In the ward, Dr. P. R. Balakrishnan inspected his abdomen in order to check whether there was a serious wound. After this inspection, Lakshmikanthan's condition reportedly grew serious and he died at 4.15 AM on November 9, 1944 due to secondary shock caused by damage to the kidney.
. However, the appeal from the Privy Council did not come until the duo had already spent 30 months in jail.
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar (1909-1959) was one of the biggest stars of early Tamil cinema. With his trademark long hair and his sweet voice, he set long-standing records in Tamil cinema. He was also appreciated for his generosity and was perhaps the only film actor to be awarded a "Rao Bahadur
" title, which he however, refused.
At the time of his arrest, Bhagavathar was at the peak of his success. He had just completed shooting for Haridas
which ran for three successful years at Sun Theatre in Broadway. He was the highest paid Tamil actor at the time and had been signed for as many as 12 films at the time of his arrest.
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
between November 1944 and April 1947. The cause of the trial was the murder of C. N. Lakshmikanthan, a Tamil film journalist with a hoary
Hoary
Hoary may refer to:*Hoary, white or grey with age*Hoary bat, a "hairy-tailed bat" in the family of vesper bats...
past. Lakshmikanthan was stabbed in Vepery, Madras on November 7, 1944 and he died the next morning in General Hospital, Madras. A criminal case was filed and a series of suspects were arrested. The suspects included Tamil film actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
and N. S. Krishnan
N. S. Krishnan
Nagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
and director S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
Subbarayalu Naidu Munuswami Naidu Sriramulu Naidu , also pronounced as Sreeramulu Naidu, was an Indian businessman and movie producer from Coimbatore who founded the Pakshiraja Studios in 1945. He was responsible for the early development of the Tamil film industry in Coimbatore and was called the...
. While Sreeramulu Naidu was acquitted, Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and Krishnan were found guilty and subsequently convicted. Bhagavathar and Krishnan appealed to the Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
but their appeals were turned down. The duo remained in jail until 1947, when an appeal to the Privy Council was successful and the Council directed the sessions court to make a fresh retrial. Both Bhagavathar and Krishnan were found to be innocent and acquitted. The case remains unsolved to the present day and the actual perpetuators of the murder were never found.
The arrest completely broke Bhagavathar's morale. He lost all his money and died in the year 1959 in penury. Krishnan, however, did a few movies till his death and some of them were successful.
The feud between the accused and Lakshmikanthan
C. N. Lakshmikanthan or Lakshmikantham was a famous film journalist of Madras Presidency whose forte was described as yellow journalismYellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
. His foray into journalism began in 1943 when he launched a film weekly called "Cinema Thoothu" which was extremely successful. He wrote extensive columns devoted to the personal lives of some of the top film actors and actresses of the day aimed at maligning their image in society. Many actors and actresses responded by paying large amounts of money in order to "buy" his silence. As a result, Lakshmikanthan set up a prosperous vocation.
Eventually, matters reached a standstill when film actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
and N. S. Krishnan
N. S. Krishnan
Nagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
and film director Sreeramulu Naidu submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Madras, Arthur Oswald James Hope
Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour
Arthur Oswald James Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour GCIE MC was a British politician, soldier and administrator. He was a Conservative and served as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton from 1924 to 1929 and for Birmingham Aston from 1931 to 1939, after which he was Governor of the Madras Presidency of...
requesting him to revoke the license for the magazine. Hope obliged and the license for the magazine was cancelled. Lakshmikanthan tried to run the magazine with forged documents but after a few months, he was forced to close shop.
Unfazed, Lakshmikanthan set up a new magazine called "Hindu Nesan" in which he continued his scandalous stories on Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Krishnan and a few other top actors, actresses and moviepersons of the day. The tactics paid huge dividends and Lakshmikanthan purchased his own printing press.
Lakshmikanthan's Background
Film historian and author Randor GuyRandor Guy
Randor Guy is the pen name of Madabhushi Rangadorai, a prominent Indian lawyer, columnist and film and legal historian associated with the English language newspaper The Hindu.-Early life:Guy graduated in B.Sc and B. L. from Madras University and commenced his career as a lawyer...
writes that Lakshmikanthan had a dark past with a criminal record. As a young man, Lakshmikanthan desired to become a lawyer but could not afford it as his family was not well-off. However, Lakshmikanthan, with his sufficient knowledge of law, managed to establish himself as a "tout". A tout was someone who brought a case to a lawyer for money, but at times, even forged documents or signatures for a particular sum. Lakshmikanthan was successful for sometime, but was eventually caught and convicted for forgery. Lakshmikanthan tried to escape but was captured and imprisoned on a 7-year term at Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
jail. He tried to escape once again, but was caught and deported to the Andamans. Lakshmikanthan was eventually released when the islands came under Japanese occupation during the Second World War. He returned to India and established himself as a journalist.
The murder
In the morning of November 8, 1944, Lakshmikanthan paid a visit to his close friend and lawyer, J. Nargunam, who lived in Vepery. As he was returning to his house at PurasawalkamPurasawalkam
Purasawakkam , also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai, is a residential area and shopping district in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is close to the Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations. Purasawalkam is considered a perfect mixture of commercial and residential hub. The name...
in a cycle-rickshaw, Lakshmikanthan was attacked by a group of unknown assailants one of whom stabbed him with a knife. The bleeding Lakshmikanthan, however, managed to garner enough strength to walk all the way to the lawyer's house, who listened to Lakshmikanthan's description of the incident and then, sent him to General Hospital, Madras in the company of his friend, Mr. Brew, an Anglo-Indian.
On the way, Lakshmikanthan requested the rickshaw-driver to stop at Vepery police station to file a complaint against the assailants. At about that time, Mr. Brew took leave of him. Profusely bleeding and unable to move, Lakshmikanthan dictated his description of the incident while sitting in the rickshaw while inspector Krishnan Nambiyar wrote it down in a piece of paper.
At the General Hospital, Lakshmikanthan was admitted to the Wenlock Ward when bleeding in the abdomen did not cease. In the ward, Dr. P. R. Balakrishnan inspected his abdomen in order to check whether there was a serious wound. After this inspection, Lakshmikanthan's condition reportedly grew serious and he died at 4.15 AM on November 9, 1944 due to secondary shock caused by damage to the kidney.
Arrests
Six suspects were arrested in the days following the murder. Among them were M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, N. S. Krishnan and film producer and theatre owner Sreeramulu Naidu. They were tried for the murder. Bhagavathar and Krishnan were convicted while Naidu was acquitted.The Madras High Court sentenced the duo to transportation for life. Krishnan and Bhagavathar appealed to the Privy CouncilPrivy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
. However, the appeal from the Privy Council did not come until the duo had already spent 30 months in jail.
M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Rao Bahadur
Rao Bahadur was a title of honour issued in British India to individuals who had performed great service to the nation....
" title, which he however, refused.
At the time of his arrest, Bhagavathar was at the peak of his success. He had just completed shooting for Haridas
Haridas (1944 film)
Haridas is a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. It holds the record of being the first film to run continuously for 110 weeks at a single theatre.-Production:...
which ran for three successful years at Sun Theatre in Broadway. He was the highest paid Tamil actor at the time and had been signed for as many as 12 films at the time of his arrest.