Saravana Bhavan owner dies after heart attack, days after surrender in murder case

Saravana Bhavan owner P Rajagopal died at a private hospital on Thursday, July 18, days after he surrendered and was given a life term imprisonment by session court. Sources said that he was put on ventilator after which he suffered a heart attack.
 
The founder of popular South Indian food chain had surrendered in Chennai along with another convict Janardhanan. After the Fourth Additional Sessions Judge G Thanendran accepted the surrender applications, and recorded their statement, they were taken to government medical college hospital in Chennai and admitted to the “convict ward” as per the doctors’ advice.
Rajagopal, who had moved the apex court citing health reasons, was brought to the premises of the sessions court in an ambulance. Janardhanan was brought in another ambulance. The counsel for the convicts argued that both of them suffered from serious ailments and it would not be possible to bring them to the court located on the third floor.

The defense counsel submitted that Rajagopal has 30 percent blindness and was paralyzed as well for the past few months. The public prosecutor, however, insisted that the duo needed to be brought to the court for their surrender petitions to be accepted.

READ: 'Saravana Bhavan' Founder Rajagopal Surrenders, Taken To Government Hospital

After hearing the arguments, the judge, pointing to requisite facilities, said both can be brought to court using the elevator and directed their production before him for accepting their surrender petitions. While Rajagopal was carried into the court in a stretcher, Janardhanan was brought on a wheelchair and after recording their statements, the judge sent them to custody.

Rajagopal was to surrender on July 7 to serve life imprisonment in the murder case of Prince Shantakumar in 2001.The motive for the murder was to marry Shantakumar’s wife Jeevajothi, who was the daughter of a former employee -- an assistant manager -- in his hotel. Rajagopal’s appeal against the Madras High Court order upholding the trial court’s judgment convicting him was rejected by the apex court in March this year.

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