Honour Killing: Two persons get life imprisonment for murdering son-in-law in Kerala

The two accused, Prabhu Kumar (father) and Suresh (uncle) of Haritha, were found guilty of murdering their 27-year-old son-in-law Aneesh on Christmas Day in 2020.

Aneesh, a painter, was stabbed to death by Kumar and Suresh less than three months after marrying Haritha, who belonged to an upper-caste, affluent family.

Following the pronouncement of the sentence, Haritha expressed her dissatisfaction with the punishment and urged the state government to file an appeal for a harsher sentence. "They should be given the death penalty for the gruesome crime," she said.

"I am dissatisfied with the punishment meted out for such a heinous crime. The death penalty should have been imposed. At the very least, a double life sentence was anticipated," she stated.

Haritha disclosed that she received threats during the trial. The court convicted the accused to a life sentence and levied a fine of Rs 50,000, which is to be paid to her.

The court inquired whether the first accused, Suresh Kumar, and the second accused, Prabhukumar, wished to make a statement. They remained silent. Meanwhile, Haritha, overwhelmed with emotion, was observed from the upper gallery by her father and uncle, who were smiling.

The perpetrators of the crime had threatened to kill Aneesh within 90 days of his wedding. The heinous act occurred on the 88th day of their marriage.