Thiruvananthapuram: A day after a Kerala court convicted a 24-year-old woman and her uncle in a case related to the murder of her boyfriend, the prosecution on Saturday sought capital punishment for her, arguing that she lured the victim to death by professing love for him.
After the arguments on sentencing concluded in the court, Special Public Prosecutor V S Vineeth Kumar told reporters that the conduct of the accused—Greeshma—could erode people's faith in the concept of love.
He said that while the prosecution sought capital punishment for the accused, the defence argued against it, claiming it was a “justifiable murder” as the victim—Sharon Raj—allegedly had some intimate photos of the woman from when they were together. The prosecutor said the defence further argued that the accused should be given a chance to reform herself.
The investigating officer in the case told reporters that the police found no evidence suggesting the victim had blackmailed the accused.
The prosecutor also said that Greeshma sought leniency in sentencing by citing her academic achievements, lack of prior criminal history, and the fact that she is her parents' only daughter. “The court will pronounce the order on the sentence on January 20,” he said.
On Friday, the Neyyattinkara Additional District Sessions Court convicted Greeshma and her uncle—Nirmalakumaran Nair—in the case while acquitting her mother.
Greeshma was found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder (Section 302), while her uncle was convicted under Section 201 of the IPC for destroying evidence.
The prosecution claimed that Raj was lured by Greeshma to her house in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district on October 14, 2022, and later poisoned him. He alleged that the accused used some “ayurvedic tonic” laced with “paraquat”, a herbicide for the act. Later, it was found that Raj, 23, succumbed to multiple organ failure at a hospital due to some lethal concoction.
The prosecution told the court that Greeshma, then 22, plotted the murder after Raj refused to end their relationship, even though her marriage had been arranged with an army man from Nagercoil.
She had previously attempted to poison Raj by mixing paracetamol tablets into fruit juice. However, that attempt failed when he refused to drink it, citing its bitter taste, according to the prosecution.
Sequence of the Crime
The incident took place on October 14, 2022. Sharon and Greeshma had been in love for years. In the meantime, Greeshma received another marriage proposal and confirmed it. With this, Greeshma was planning to get rid of Sharon.
First, a juice challenge was conducted. The first attempt was to make Sharon drink juice mixed with paracetamol. Although he felt unwell, Sharon survived that day. Later, the cruelty was brought to the house. Greeshma mixed the decoction with insecticide.
Sharon, who fell ill after consuming this, was immediately admitted to the hospital. Sharon was treated for 11 days. Sharon succumbed to internal organ failure and died.
Sharon did not say anything against Greeshma in his death statement given to the magistrate. However, the prosecution referred to Sharon’s conversation with his friend and father talking about Greeshma cheating.
The scientific evidence also corroborated the prosecution's version. When the police later called her in and questioned her, Greeshma confessed to the crime. Greeshma's mother Sindhu and uncle Nirmala Kumaran Nair were accused in the case for destroying evidence.
Greeshma had attempted suicide while in police custody. Greeshma was later released on bail after spending a year in jail.
The police filed the chargesheet in the case on January 25, 2023. The chargesheet was filed after the High Court rejected the plea of the accused that the trial could not be held in Kerala. The trial, which began on October 15, 2024, ended on January 3, 2025. The court examined 95 witnesses in the case.
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