Sandeep G, the man convicted by a trial court for the murder of Dr Vandana Das, a house surgeon at Taluk Hospital in Kottarakkara, has approached the Kerala High Court with an appeal challenging his conviction. A bench comprising Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar on Tuesday admitted the appeal and adjourned the matter for further consideration.
Details of the Incident
Dr Vandana Das was allegedly stabbed to death by Sandeep on May 10, 2023. The incident occurred when police brought him to the hospital for a medical examination in the early hours, as he was reportedly under the influence of alcohol. While being taken into the casualty ward, Sandeep allegedly took a pair of scissors from the procedure room and attacked a bystander and police personnel. He stabbed the policemen, his neighbour who had accompanied him, and Dr Vandana, inflicting a total of 16 stab wounds on her.
Trial Court Verdict
In March, the additional sessions court in Kollam found Sandeep guilty of multiple offences under the Indian Penal Code, including murder, grievous hurt, and attempt to murder, as well as offences under the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012. The sessions court sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for the offence of murder. Additionally, he was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for attempt to murder, and another 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25,000 for grievous hurt.
Sandeep's Appeal Grounds
In his appeal, Sandeep denied the allegations against him and claimed that he was not in a proper mental condition to understand and assess the situation on the day of the incident due to mental illness and delusions. He further contended that the trial court failed to properly appreciate the evidence given by the head of the psychiatry department at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, regarding his mental condition. The High Court has now taken up the appeal for further proceedings.
