KOLLAM: Sooraj, the accused in the sensational Uthra murder case where a woman was killed by snakebite, was found guilty by the court on Monday. Kollam Sixth Additional Sessions Court judge M Manoj pronounced the judgement convicting Sooraj, Uthra's husband, after a legal battle of over a year, five months and four days. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Wednesday.
Sooraj, the first and only accused in the case, has been convicted under four sections- 302 (Punishment for murder), 307 (Attempt to murder), 328 (Causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence) and 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of the offence).
Uthra, 25, died of snakebite at her husband's house in Anchal on May 7, 2020. It was alleged that her husband Sooraj, bought snakes -- first a viper and then a cobra -- to kill Uthra. Sooraj's brutal act of using a snake to kill his wife came to light after Uthra's parents raised suspicions leading to a detailed police investigation.
On Monday, Sooraj was brought to the court from Kollam district jail by 12.10 pm. Huge police security was arranged in the court compound to avoid any protest or clashes while bringing the accused.
Sooraj said he has nothing to say, when judge M Manoj asked him whether he has something to say after reading the charges raised on him.
The prosecution produced 87 witnesses, 286 pieces of documentary evidence and 40 other pieces of evidence during the trial. The defence examined three witnesses, besides producing 24 documents and three compact discs.
A huge crowd came to the court to hear the verdict in the case. Uthra's father Vijayasenan and brother Vishu reached the court to hear the verdict, while her mother Manimegalai was at their house in Anchal.
Uthra murder case timeline
March 2, 2020: Uthra was first bitten by a snake (viper) at her husband's home in Adoor.
March 2 to April 22- Uthra sought treatment for snake bite in a private hospital in Thiruvalla.
May 7, 2020: Uthra died of a second snakebite (cobra) while she was asleep in her house in Anchal, Kollam, while under treatment for the first snakebite.
May 24, 2020: Her husband, Sooraj, arrested based on suspicion raised by Uthra's family over her death. Sooraj has been charged under various sections of the IPC for murder, attempt to murder, and destruction of evidence.
May 26, 2020: The postmortem of the snake used to kill completed. The cobra was 152 centimetres long. The fangs, bones and brain of the snake were collected. The fangs were 6cm long.
July 4, 2020: Snakecatcher Suresh, the second accused, submitted an application to turn approver. The application was submitted to the court through jail authorities. Suresh claimed in the application that he was unaware of the murder motive while supplying snakes to the key accused, Sooraj.
July 14, 2020: Sooraj was brought to Uthra's home for evidence collection.
August 14, 2020: Kollam Crime Branch (Rural Police) filed a 1,000-page chargesheet before the Punalur Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. As per the chargesheet, Sooraj had twice tried to kill Uthra by forcing poisonous snakes to bite her and there was an intervention to destroy the evidence both times. The murder was committed with the intention of extorting money, the report said.
December 1, 2020: Trial began in the case.
August 26, 2021: Investigators released a video of a rarely tried scientific test. The footage shows a real snake being baited with a human dummy and the reptile striking the moving object. The dummy trial was conducted at the forest department's Training Institute at Arippa, Kollam.
October 11, 2021: Verdict pronounced. Sooraj found guilty by the court