Kerala man gets life imprisonment, fine of Rs 10,000 for murdering 7-year-old son

If he fails to pay the fine, then he has to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another year, said the court.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

KOCHI:  The Ernakulam special additional district and sessions court for the trial of cases relating to atrocities and sexual violence against women and children on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to a 39-year-old man for murdering his seven-year-old son on September 10, 2016, at Kodanad. Babu, of Vellaplavil House, Vengoor, who was given life imprisonment, was also slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000. 

If he fails to pay the fine, then he has to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another year, said the court. Earlier, Additional Sessions Judge PJ Vincent found Babu guilty under section 302 (murder) of the IPC. The prosecution case was that Babu strangled his son Vasudev to death and put the body in a sack and dumped it in an unused well in a rubber plantation near his house. 

The accused submitted that he had nothing to state before the court. Public Prosecutor K A Bindu argued for the imposition of death penalty since he had been convicted for murder, which is punishable with life imprisonment or death. However, the court observed that the normal punishment for murder is imprisonment for life and the extreme penalty will be justified only in rarest of rare cases.

This case does not come within the ambit of ‘rarest of rare’ cases. Moreover, the accused admitted his guilt throughout the proceedings due to the prick of conscience and pangs of compunction as the victim was his only son. Therefore, the normal sentence of life imprisonment for the offence of murder meets the ends of justice, the court observed.

Babu and Vasudev went missing on September 10, 2016. Babu’s wife Raji, who is a sweeper in a private hospital, filed a complaint with Kodanad police. On September 12 morning, Babu surrendered before the police. He confessed that he killed the boy due to financial hardships.

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