Double Death Sentences in Shocking Kerala Murder Case
In a significant verdict that has captured national attention, the Additional District Sessions Court-3 in Alappuzha delivered a death sentence on Saturday to Rejani, a 38-year-old woman from Punnapra, for her involvement in the brutal 2021 murder of a pregnant woman. This marks the second death penalty in the case, following the earlier sentencing of the primary accused.
The Court's Stern Judgment
The court pronounced Rejani guilty of murdering Anitha Sasidharan, a 32-year-old mother of two who was also from Punnapra, during July 2021. The judgment came after Rejani was produced before the court from an Odisha jail where she had been lodged in connection with a separate narcotics case.
Along with the capital punishment, the court imposed a substantial fine of Rs 2.5 lakh that must be handed over to Anitha's father and her children. The detailed breakdown of sentences includes:
- Death penalty and Rs 1 lakh fine under Section 302 (murder) of IPC
- Life imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy)
- Five years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine under Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence)
The court notably acquitted both accused of charges under Section 316 of IPC related to causing the death of an unborn child.
Previous Sentencing and Legal Proceedings
This verdict completes the sentencing in the high-profile case that had seen the first accused, Prabeesh (36) of Muthukadmuri, Nilambur, receive the death penalty on November 24. The court had been unable to pronounce Rejani's sentence at that time due to her incarceration in Odisha.
The death sentence is subject to mandatory confirmation by the Kerala High Court. The court order specified that if the death sentence is commuted or remitted by competent authorities, Rejani will be entitled to a set-off for the detention period she has already undergone since July 13, 2021.
Following the sentencing, Rejani was transferred to the Women's Prison in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Tragic Events of July 2021
According to prosecution details that emerged during the trial, the murder stemmed from a complex romantic entanglement. Prabeesh had been maintaining relationships with both Anitha, who was a mother of two, and Rejani, who was also married. The situation escalated when Anitha became pregnant and refused Prabeesh's pressure to terminate the pregnancy.
The prosecution established that Anitha, who worked on a farm in Alathur, was deliberately lured to Rejani's house in Kainakary under false pretenses. There, the horrific crime unfolded with Prabeesh threatening her with a knife while Rejani covered her mouth and nose when she attempted to raise an alarm, causing her to lose consciousness.
Believing her to be dead, the accused transported Anitha in a fiber boat to the river and dumped her body, ultimately causing her death by drowning. The postmortem report confirmed that death resulted from both smothering and drowning, with the court noting that Anitha showed signs of life when thrown into the river and ultimately breathed her last in its depths.
The testimony of Rejani's mother proved crucial to the prosecution's case, as she confirmed that Anitha had indeed reached Rejani's house and remained there on the day of the murder. This witness statement significantly strengthened the evidence against the accused.
The court's firm stance in delivering consecutive death sentences underscores the severity with which the Indian judiciary views such premeditated and brutal crimes against women.
