The court sentences his wife’s father, uncle, to life imprisonment

On Monday, October 28, a lower court in Kerala’s Palakkad district sentenced two convicts accused of murdering a 27-year-old man who married a dominant caste woman in 2020 to life imprisonment.

Aneesh, who belongs to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Kollan community in Kerala, was allegedly stabbed and killed by his wife Haritha’s father Prabhu Kumar and uncle Suresh Kumar – belonging to the dominant caste (Pillai).

On October 25, the court convicted both the accused and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of them, which was to be awarded to Haritha. Justice R. Vinayaka Rao in his verdict held Prabhu Kumar and Suresh Kumar guilty of murder and destruction of evidence.

In December 2020, Prabhu and Suresh attacked 27-year-old Aneesh with a rod and a knife, leaving him with multiple wounds. Aneesh bled to death on the way to the hospital, three months after marrying Haritha. TNM reported that Haritha’s family had repeatedly threatened the couple, claiming that their “honor” had been lost due to Aneesh’s caste and class (he worked as a painter).

According to reports, Aneesh’s parents felt that the convicts should be given at least double life sentence. Haritha stated that she was worried for her life and that the convicts should spend the rest of their lives in jail.