Sharon Raj murder case: Court to pronounce quantum of sentences on January 20; prosecution seeks capital punishment for the prime accused

The Additional District Sessions Court in Neyyattinkara will announce punishments for Sharon Raj murder case convicts on January 20, 2025.

The Additional District Sessions Court, Neyyattinkara, will pronounce the quantum of punishments for the convicts in the Sharon Raj murder case on Monday (January 20, 2025).

Judge A.M. Basheer had, on Friday, found the prime accused, S.S. Greeshma, guilty of various offences including murder and causing harm using poison. Her uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, the third accused, was convicted for destroying evidence, while Greeshma’s mother Sindhu, the second accused, was acquitted for want of evidence.

The court on Saturday heard the final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence on the punishment. Tensions escalated in the courtroom with a war of words between the two sides after the prosecution termed Greeshma’s actions as diabolic.

Special Public Prosecutor V.S. Vineeth Kumar called for capital punishment, asserting the case met the criteria of being “the rarest of the rare”. He argued that Greeshma was fully aware of the deadly effects of paraquat, the herbicide she mixed into a drink given to Sharon Raj. He further stated that she knew the excruciating pain and bleeding the poison would cause, which, according to him, revealed her “devilish” nature and lack of remorse.

The arguments were countered by the defence, led by senior advocate Sasthamangalam S. Ajith Kumar, who maintained that her actions were motivated by emotional distress, claiming that she was under duress due to Sharon Raj’s refusal to end their relationship. They claimed that she had even contemplated suicide using the same herbicide, which Sharon ultimately ingested.

When given the opportunity to speak, Greeshma, 24, submitted a written statement pleading for leniency, citing her young age and educational background. She mentioned that he had completed an MA in Literature with distinction and hoped to pursue further studies.

Meanwhile, the prosecution is unlikely to appeal the acquittal of Sindhu, given the slim chances of overturning the verdict. After Greeshma discarded the paraquat bottle at a nearby plantation, Nirmalakumaran Nair later buried it elsewhere. While the prosecution had claimed that he acted under Sindhu’s directions, it failed to present eyewitness testimony to substantiate the theory.