Nenmara double murder case: Court to pronounce sentence for Chenthamara on July 20

Palakkad (Kerala): The Palakkad Additional Sessions Court is scheduled to pronounce the sentence in the Nenmara double murder case on Monday, July 20.

Ahead of the sentencing, the Legal Services Authority submitted a mitigation and counselling report regarding the convict, Chenthamara, to the court. However, the prosecution strongly challenged this document, arguing that the report merely reproduced Chenthamara’s statements verbatim without containing any independent findings or assessments by the legal aid body.

The prosecution questioned how the report's premise, which claimed that the second murder occurred because the convict did not receive medical treatment, could be accepted. The prosecution also rejected Chenthamara's proposal to compensate the children of the victim, Sudhakaran, using the wages earned from prison labour, stating it was completely unacceptable. Furthermore, the prosecution pointed out that Chenthamara’s sole grievance appeared to be that his wife and daughter had abandoned him.

Conversely, the defence counsel urged the court to adopt a philosophy of "hate the sin, love the sinner" when deciding the punishment. The defence argued that the possibility of the convict experiencing genuine reformation and repentance in the future could not be ruled out.

Additional Sessions Judge-IV Kenneth George is presiding over the case.