SC grants bail to Attingal double murder accused Anushanthi

Anushanthi had sought bail, citing visual impairment and health issues. Earlier, she was granted two months of parole for eye treatment.
Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of India
Updated on
2 min read

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Anushanthi, the second accused in the 2014 Attingal double murder case, who was sentenced to double life imprisonment. Bail was granted considering her health condition until the petition to quash her sentence is resolved. The trial court will decide the bail conditions.

Anushanthi had sought bail, citing visual impairment and health issues. Earlier, she was granted two months of parole for eye treatment.

The case involved the murder of Omana, a 57-year-old retired taluk office employee, and her four-year-old granddaughter Swastika. The incident happened on April 16, 2014, at their house in Alamcode. Omana’s son Lijesh, an assistant engineer with KSEB, was also severely injured in the attack.

The crime was committed by Nino Mathew, a Technopark employee, with help from Anushanthi, who was Lijesh’s wife and Nino’s colleague. The murders were driven by their extramarital affair.

According to the police, Nino entered the house around 1pm, pretending to be a KSEB employee and Lijesh’s friend. He convinced Omana to call Lijesh home under the pretext of a wedding invitation. Once inside, Nino followed Omana into the kitchen, attacked her with a baseball bat, and slashed her neck.

He then murdered Swastika too. When Lijesh arrived, Nino threw chilli powder at his face and attacked him. Though Lijesh managed to block the first blow and escape, Nino chased and wounded him before fleeing. By the time the local residents informed the police, Omana and Swastika were dead.

The police arrested Nino and Anushanthi the same day. Based on evidence from phone records and statements, it was confirmed that both were involved in planning and executing the crime. Nino was caught while attempting to escape from his house in Karamana. Police had sealed the borders and carried out extensive searches to arrest him.

The Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions Court sentenced Nino to death and Anushanthi to double life imprisonment. However, the High Court later commuted Nino’s death sentence to 25 years of imprisonment without parole, while Anushanthi’s sentence was upheld.

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