KOCHI, India – In a case dealing with violence against women and children, the Ernakulam Additional District Sessions Court handed down a significant sentencing on Wednesday. The court sentenced the convict in the 2018 Mookkannur triple murder case to double imprisonment and death. Judge K Soman also imposed a collective term sentence of 36 years, running concurrently, and a fine of Rs 4.1 lakh.
The convict, Babu, 48, was found guilty of the murder of his elder brother Sivan, sister-in-law Valsala, and their daughter Smitha. He used a billhook in their Mookkannur house, also injuring Smitha’s son who tried to intervene, resulting in a fractured hand.
The court found that Babu had a dispute with Sivan over ancestral property and property bequeathed by their mother to Babu’s wife. This led to a confrontation and ultimately, the gruesome murders.
The sentencing included double imprisonment for the murder of Sivan and Valsala, and death for the murder of Smitha. The judge described Smitha’s murder as “extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolic, revolting, and dastardly,” leading to the conclusion that it falls into the category of rarest of rare cases.
The case was investigated by S Muhammed Riyaz, the inspector of police at the time, and prosecuted by P A Bindu and advocate Sarun P Mangara. The prosecution examined 61 witnesses and produced 102 documents and 43 material objects, leading to a guilty verdict on all 14 charges, including criminal trespass, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, attempt to murder, and murder.
The events of the case, including the murder and the convict’s subsequent attempt to commit suicide, shocked the community. The trial commenced in May 2022 and concluded with the significant sentencing on January 31, 2024. The death sentence still needs to be confirmed by the Kerala High Court.