Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's son MK Azhagiri, was acquitted on Thursday along with 12 others by a sessions court in Chittoor in a case relating to the murder of a former DMK minister for want of reliable evidence.
Sessions Judge P Durga Prasad in a brief verdict observed that there was no reliable evidence to connect the accused with the murder of former minister T Kiruttinan. The judge said the detailed judgment would be pronounced on Friday.
Azhagiri, along with the other accused, was present in the court when the judgment was delivered amidst tight security.
A large contingent of DMK workers, who were present in the court, raised slogans in support of Azhagiri and Karunanidhi.
The case was shifted from Madurai to Chittoor last year following a Supreme Court directive in response to a petition by two of the relatives of Kiruttinan, saying they would not get a fair trial.
Azhagiri and 12 of his associates were accused of murdering Kiruttinan on May 20, 2003 following a factional feud. Azhagiri was arrested two days later and lodged in Tiruchi central prison. He was later released on bail.