Palakkad, Oct 14 (IANS) In the high-profile Nenmara Pothundi Sajitha murder case, the Fourth Additional District Court in Palakkad on Tuesday found the accused, Chenthamara, guilty.

After six years of trial proceedings, the court concluded the case on Tuesday, confirming that all charges against him, including murder, destruction of evidence, and unlawful entry, were proven. The punishment will be announced on Thursday.

Sajitha’s children, Atulya and Akhil, were present in court to hear the verdict.

Chenthamara was also brought to court by 10.45 a.m.

Earlier, the children had expressed that if the accused were released, their lives would be under threat. They demanded the maximum punishment.

During the reading of the verdict, Chenthamara remained silent and showed no reaction.

The murder occurred in 2019 when Chenthamara attacked Sajitha, the wife of Sudhakaran, with a chisel in her home in Nenmara.

Chenthamara believed that Sajitha and a neighbour, Pushpa, were responsible for causing discord between him and his wife.

On the day of the crime, Sajitha’s children were at school, and her husband was in Tamil Nadu.

Despite these restrictions, he violated the conditions, occasionally returning to Nenmara, and on January 27 this year committed a brutal double murder, killing Sudhakaran and his mother, Lakshmi.

According to police, Chenthamara fled to a nearby forest after the killings and hid in the Mattai forest area of Pothundy. The Kerala Police started a search and arrested him. He was remanded in custody on January 29.

Following the double murder, the court revoked his bail in the Sajitha case.

The trial involved testimonies from 50 witnesses, including the accused’s wife, who stated that the weapon used in the murder was kept at home and that Chenthamara had mentally and physically harassed her.

Physical evidence, forensic reports, and over 30 official documents were crucial in securing the conviction.

With this verdict, authorities are also considering initiating the trial for Chenthamara’s Nenmara double murder case.

–IANS

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