Thiruvananthapuram: The Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court on Monday awarded a death sentence to Greeshma, the prime accused in the Sharon Raj Murder Case. In addition to murder, the court awarded a 10-year prison term for kidnapping and five years in jail for misleading the investigation team along with a Rs two lakh fine.
Describing the case as "rarest of rare", the court said Greeshma's age should not be factored in while deciding her sentencing. At the time of the crime, Greeshma was 22-year-old, and her uncle Nirmalakumaran Nair, was convicted of destroying evidence and sentenced to three years in prison. The court, however, acquitted Greeshma's mother, the second accused, due to a lack of evidence.
Sequence Of Crime
Sharon and Greeshma were in a long relationship while Greeshma received another marriage proposal, to which she nodded. To pursue the proposal, Greeshma planned to end her relationship with Sharon and eliminate him from her way. She tried to poison him by mixing paracetamol into his drink. Though Sharon fell unwell, he survived. When the first attempt failed, Greeshma mixed insecticide into the decoction consuming which, Sharon fell ill and was admitted to the hospital.
Despite 11 days of treatment, he succumbed to an internal organ failure. In his dying declaration to the magistrate, Sharon did not mention anything against Greeshma. However, the prosecution referred to Sharon's conversations with friends and father, in which he talked of Greeshma's cheating. This became a turning point in the case.
The scientific evidence supported the prosecution's version. When questioned by the police, Greeshma confessed to the crime. Her mother, Sindhu, and her uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, were implicated in evidence tampering. Greeshma attempted suicide in police custody, which the court described as "a dramatic effort to escape accountability". Nevertheless, she was granted bail after a year in jail.
The police filed the chargesheet on January 25, 2023, following the High Court’s rejection of the accused's plea to move the trial out of Kerala. The trial began on October 15, 2024, and concluded on January 3 in which 95 witnesses were examined. On January 18, the court found Greeshma, the first accused, and her uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, the third accused, guilty while acquitting her mother, the second accused, due to lack of evidence.
The Proceeding
The court's observations outlined the severity of the crime and emphasised its unique and extreme nature. Additional Sessions Judge A M Basheer pronounced the verdict. Greeshma had been crying when she was brought to the court. But she responded emotionless to the verdict. Sharon's parents and brother were also present in the court. The judge called them into the courtroom before pronouncing the verdict.
Court Observations
The 586-page verdict said Greeshma breached the trust of Sharon, who had a deep love for her. Sharon could not drink even a drop of water for 11 days. Still, she did not distrust Greeshma as he did not want her to be dragged into the legal quagmire. The verdict also states that Greeshma had a good relationship with her fiancé despite having a relationship with Sharon.
The court slammed Greeshma the other day for having a devil's mind and congratulated the Kerala Police for competently completing the investigation. The police changed the investigation method according to the changing times apart from using circumstantial evidence. "The accused knew that she had been carrying the evidence against her since the day of the crime," the verdict says, clarifying that it was proven that the accused had sexual relations with Sharon even after the engagement with the other person.
Sharon was called by her saying that they could have sexual intercourse. The court also pointed out that Sharon filmed the incident feeling that there were some problems with the juice. Poisoning a person to end a relationship will send the wrong message to society. Sharon loved Greeshma even on his deathbed and even though he did not want Greeshma to be punished, whether he had complained against her or not, was not relevant before the court, it said.
The verdict further notes that Sharon called Greeshma by the name "Vava" meaning baby and the murder was committed without any provocation. There is no evidence that Sharon beat Greeshma and the tactic of trying to hold on until the end despite committing the crime did not work. When Greeshma called home on October 14, Sharon did not know that she was calling him with a murderous motive.
This case sent a message that you cannot trust even someone you love from the heart. "The court cannot take the age of the accused into consideration. It is not enough for me to see the accused alone. The argument that she was not involved in other crimes before cannot be taken into account. Greeshma had previously attempted murder and committed crimes again and again.
Investigating Officers Response
D Shilpa Rao, the investigating officer in the case, expressed her happiness with the verdict. "Greeshma tried to mislead the investigation team. There were challenges at many stages. This is the success of the investigation team working together," she said.
Rao also said in Kasaragod that she will consider the legal aspects of the sentencing of the other accused and move forward.
Deputy SP Johnson said this is the rarest of rare cases and the death penalty was expected. This is a success for the investigation team. Greeshma tried to mislead the investigation in the initial stage and is a person with a criminal background.
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