Pothencode Sudheesh Murder: Life imprisonment for all eleven accused
Thiruvananthapuram: All eleven accused in the Pothencode Sudheesh murder case have been sentenced to life imprisonment with rigorous punishment. The verdict was pronounced by the Nedumangad SC/ST Court.
The incident occurred at the house of Sajeev in Kalloor Pananvilai, Pothencode, where Sudheesh (32) was hacked to death. After the brutal murder, his leg was severed and paraded around the town, causing widespread fear. On Wednesday, the court found all 11 accused guilty in the case.
However, charges of conspiracy and violations under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act raised by the prosecution were not imposed on the accused. The incident that led to the case took place on 11 December 2021. The motive behind the murder stemmed from a grudge held by the first accused, Unni from Mankattumoola, who was angered by Sudheesh allegedly assaulting his friend and attacking his mother.
Sudheesh, who had been hiding inside the house of a relative, was murdered by the gang led by the third accused, Rajesh. After the murder, the first accused, Unni, cut off Sudheesh’s leg and threw it on the road while performing a victory dance—an act that shocked the entire locality. The second accused, Shyam, also directly participated in the killing. The other accused are Nidheesh, Nandeesh, Ranjith, Sreenath, Suraj, Arun, Jishnu, and Sachin.
The case drew significant public attention, and the charge sheet was filed on the 88th day. Rajesh, a native of Azhoor in Chirayinkeezhu and an accused in two other murder cases, was the mastermind behind the plan. He arranged money and a vehicle for the accused to go into hiding and also devised strategies for them to obtain bail after the crime. Since the victim, Sudheesh, belonged to a Scheduled Caste, the case was transferred to the Nedumangad SC/ST Court for further trial.
M.K. Sulfikar, who was then the DySP of Nedumangad, led the investigation. The prosecution was represented by Special Public Prosecutor T. Geena Kumari.