KOCHI : The Ernakulam Additional District Sessions Court dealing with cases pertaining to atrocities against women and children on Wednesday sentenced the convict in the 2018 Mookkannur triple murder case to double imprisonment and death.
Judge K Soman also awarded Babu, 48, of Mookkannur, a collective term sentence of 36 years, which will run concurrently, and slapped a fine of Rs 4.1 lakh.
The convict will first undergo the term sentences before the commencement of his life sentences which run concurrently. The death sentence will need to be confirmed by the Kerala High Court.
Babu was convicted for the murder of his elder brother Sivan, 60, of Arackal House, Erappur, sister-in-law Valsala, 56, and their daughter Smitha, 33, using a billhook in their house at Mookkannur, on the evening of February 12, 2018. He also attempted to murder Smitha’s son, who intervened and ended up with a fractured hand. The accused was nabbed the day after.
Babu had a dispute with Sivan over ancestral property allotted to the former on partition and regarding property bequeathed by his mother to his wife.
The accused harboured enmity with Sivan’s family members. He objected to the cutting and removal of trees from the property included in the will executed by his mother. Following an altercation, the accused reached the house of Sivan and committed the murders.
While the court sentenced the convict to double imprisonment for the murder of Sivan and Valsala, death was ordered in the murder of Smitha. As per the postmortem certificate, she sustained 35 major injuries, of which 33 injuries were incised wounds.
“What prompted the accused to commit the murder of Smitha in an extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolic, revolting and dastardly manner is the question that arose in the minds of the community. Therefore, I feel the murder of Smitha appears to be more gruesome and ferocious in nature compared to the murder of her parents,” the judge observed.
“On weighing the aggravating circumstances and in the absence of any mitigating circumstances the only and inevitable conclusion is that the murder of Smitha falls into the category of rarest of rare cases and thus the sentence of life imprisonment to the accused for this murder is unquestionably foreclosed,” the order said.
S Muhammed Riyaz, the then inspector of police, Angamaly, investigated the case and filed the chargesheet. Special prosecutor P A Bindu and advocate Sarun P Mangara appeared for the prosecution.
The prosecution examined 61 witnesses and produced 102 documents and 43 material objects.
The court found Babu guilty of all 14 charges, among others, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 447 (criminal trespass), 448 (house trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means), 506 (criminal intimidation), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or mean), 307 (attempt to murder), and 302 (murder).
Brutal murders, suicide attempt & sentencing
Feb 12, 2018: Babu murders his elder brother Sivan, sister-in-law Valsala and their daughter Smitha using a billhook and attempted to murder Smitha’s son who tried to intervene
Feb 13: Babu is caught by local residents when he attempted to commit suicide by riding his scooter into a temple pond in Koratty. He was later handed over to police
May 20, 2022: Trial commences
Jan 31, 2024: Court pronounces sentence