KOLLAM: Terming the murder of Dr Vandana Das as falling under the “rarest of rare” category, the prosecution on Thursday urged the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kollam to award capital punishment to the convict.
The court, which had found the accused guilty on Tuesday, posted the case to March 21 for pronouncement of quantum of punishment.
The court was hearing arguments on sentencing when the prosecution pressed for the death penalty, citing the gravity of the attack. Public prosecutor Adv Prathap G Padikkal submitted that the doctor was on duty and had attempted to treat the accused when she was attacked. “She was trying to help him when he turned violent. She was chased and stabbed 23 times. This is among the rarest cases involving violence against a medical professional in Kerala,” he said.
The accused, G Sandeep, pleaded for leniency, stating that he was unaware of his actions and bore no animosity towards the victim.
He also sought permission to meet his elderly mother. The defence argued that the crime was not premeditated and that Dr Vandana had “unfortunately” become the victim. It further contended that there was no conspiracy involved. The court had earlier rejected the defence claim that the accused suffered from mental disorder.
Additional District and Sessions Judge P N Vinod had found the accused guilty under multiple IPC sections. The incident was occurred on May 10, 2023.