Kevin murder case: Age, prosecution glitch save them from noose
The fact that Kevin\'s wife Neenu brought the perceived ‘dishonour’ on none of them other than her brother Chacko weakened its arguments.
Kottayam: The prosecution arguing for capital punishment for all the 10 convicts in the Kevin murder case on the ground of ‘honour-killing’ has helped Syanu Chacko to escape the noose.
The fact that Kevin's wife Neenu brought the perceived ‘dishonour’ on none of them other than her brother Chacko weakened its arguments.
The court decided not to give capital punishment taking also into account the young age of them, the possibility of reformation and the absence of criminal background.
The court had acquitted Neenu’s father Chacko whom she had accused of conspiring to finish her husband off along with her brother.
Instead of focusing on Syanu, the prosecution squandered their resources to ensure maximum punishment for all.
To be precise, capital punishment for 10 people for the death of a single person was indigestible by any legal principle, especially when the prosecution built up the case on pieces of circumstantial evidence. After the gang released Anish Sebastian, there were no eyewitnesses to what followed. No one saw Kevin drowning, giving enough ground for the benefit of the doubt.
According to legal sources, the accused may highlight this part when they appeal to higher courts to get some reprieve.
The decision of the court to categorise it as ‘honour killing’ will undergo detailed scrutiny as such cases happened in north India were due to deep-rooted caste-ignited social exclusion.
Male family members instigate vendetta towards females accused of bringing disgrace to the family by not willing for an arranged marriage. Here it is different as the family did nothing to the girl, and the boy was abducted for getting her back.