Kevin case sentencing on Tuesday

Kottayam: The Principal Sessions Court here will on Tuesday pronounce the quantum of punishment for ten men convicted in Kerala's first honour killing.

They were accused of murdering Kevin P. Joseph, a Dalit Christian, for marrying Ninu Chacko in May last year.

Principal sessions judge S. Jayachandran who convicted them on Thursday heard arguments of both sides on Saturday before reserving judgment.

The courtroom witnessed dramatic scenes when the convicts broke down in the dock as the prosecution argued for a death penalty.

The defence side pleaded for exemption from the maximum punishment considering their age and circumstances in their families.

Their parents cannot live without their help, and none of them has a criminal background. Some of them are active in social services, they argued.

The defendants argued that the court hasn't always given death sentence in honour killings and cited a few instances, like Bhagwan Das case and Jakkar Singh case of 2011 and the Vikas Yadhav case of 2016.

They said there was no brutality warranting the death sentence.

Besides the maximum punishment, the prosecution argued for compensation to the family of Anish Sebastian, whose house they ransacked,

Ninu, who lost her husband, and Kevin's family who lost their breadwinner.

If the defendants say that they don't have enough money to pay for compensation, the court should seize their vehicles for compensating the three.

Those convicted are the first accused Syanu Chacko, second accused Niyas Mon, third accused Ishan Ismail, fourth accused Riyas, sixth accused Manu Muralidharan, seventh accused Shifin Sajad, eighth accused Nishad, ninth accused Tittu Jerome, 11th accused Fasal Shereef and 12th accused Shanu.

The court acquitted fifth accused, and Ninu's father, Chacko John, tenth accused Vishnu Alias Appunni, 13th accused Shinu and 14th accused Ramees.  

It charged them under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 364 A (abduction and bargaining after holding hostage) and accused one, two and four with criminal conspiracy under 120 B.  

Chacko got the benefit of the doubt and three others the deficiency in evidence.

All of them also got charged under section 449 (trespass to commit an offence punishable with death), 427 (committing mischief) 506 part 2 (criminal intimidation), and 341 (wrongful restraint).

According to the prosecution Kevin of Nattassery was abducted by a team of 13 people from the house of his relative Anish at Mannanam on May 27 last year.

The police found his body at the Chaliakara river near Punalur the next day.