Tribals are the most marginalized people in our society. They are also the most exploited. It is the lobbies of politicians and bureaucrats who have robbed the government of crores of rupees spent on tribal welfare. The condition of the majority of the various tribal communities in India continues to be deplorable even today. Tribals have been the worst bearers of the state's ruthless terror in the name of Maoist hunt, Veerappan hunt and sandalwood hunt. The verdict of the Madras High Court yesterday changed the common perception that Adivasis are people who have no one to stand up for them. Thirty years later, they have finally received justice. High Court had earlier upheld the conviction of 215 government officials for the brutality shown by the government against the tribals of Vachathi village in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu three decades ago in the name of Veerappan hunt. Those convicted include IFS officers, top officials of forest and revenue departments and policemen.

Although 269 people involved in the case denied the crime, in 2011 the trial court convicted all of them under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act. The court also found that 17 people were accused in the case of rape of tribal women. 54 of the accused died during the trial. The remaining 215 people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1 to 10 years. The High Court rejected the appeal filed by the accused and upheld the sentence. Justice P Velmurugan ordered that a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and suitable employment must be given to each of the victims. The order also says that strict action should be taken against the then District Collector, Superintendent of Police and senior officials of the Forest Department. Justice Velmurugan had also visited Vachathi village in March.

On June 20, 1992, officials raided the village on the pretext that Veerappan had hidden sandalwood there. The gang beat the men, raped 18 women, killed cattle and demolished houses. While all the major political parties in Tamil Nadu defended the officials, only the CPM sided with the tribals. A CPM worker who was visiting a neighbouring village came to know about the incident two weeks after it happened, and let the outside world know about it as well. CBI investigated the case and filed the charge sheet as per the court's direction. It is said that justice delayed equals justice denied, but this verdict will serve as a lesson not to repeat anything like this again.