Thiruvananthapuram – The court has sentenced her husband Joy Antony to rigorous imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs. If the fine is not paid, the accused will have to undergo additional imprisonment of one year. In addition to the life sentence, he faces an additional five years in prison for tampering with evidence. Suffer the punishment together. Sixth Additional District Sessions Judge K. Vishnu sentenced the accused.
The district government pleader M. said that the accused burnt Sunita alive without even considering that she is a mother of two children and the accused has no right to live in the society. Salahuddin argued. The court did not accept the government’s demand that the accused be given the death penalty in the context of the Supreme Court judgments.
On August 3, 2013, the accused beat his wife on the head with the hand of an earthenware and burnt her alive. The body, which was cut into three pieces, was kept in his bedroom for three days and then left in the septic tank. The accused hit Sunita on the head and poured kerosene on her body in front of the seven and five-year-old girls. Meanwhile, the accused’s mother took the children to the next house. It was after this that the accused burnt Sunita and cut her body into pieces.
The accused made the children believe that their mother had eloped with someone else. Because the accused was also constantly harassing the children, Sunitha used the money she earned from doing housework to send the children to a convent of a private school. After calling the children every Friday, Sunitha used to leave her at the convent on Monday. Sunitha visited the school frequently and met the teachers and inquired about the education of the children.
When the Mother Superior inquired from the children after not seeing Sunita for several days, the children told the Mother that their father had told them that their mother had gone off with someone else. Joy did not want to let the mother come to Sunita’s house to inquire about this. The mother testified in the court that when the suspicious mother observed the premises of the house, Joy strongly prevented her from going near the septic tank.
Shijukumar, who was the then Annad ward member, lodged a complaint on behalf of Sunitha, who had no relatives or relatives. The locals, including women, came to the court to testify on behalf of Sunithaya. The prosecution examined 24 witnesses. The prosecution produced 35 documents and 23 documents before the court. Public Prosecutor M. for the prosecution. Salahuddin, Adv. Vinu Murali, Adv. Thushara Rajesh and were present. Nedumangad Circle Inspector S. Suresh Kumar presented the charge sheet in the court.
Children are safe, scientific evidence is crucial
The orphaned children were under the care of an orphanage where their mother was killed and their father was imprisoned. They were later legally adopted by a family in Alappuzha. The children had come to the court to testify against their father. The children who came to the court did not agree to meet the accused or to testify in the presence of the accused. The court intervened and the accused was kept outside the court room and the statements of the children were taken. The court directed that the fine should be paid to the children.
In the Annad Sunitha murder case where there were no eye witnesses, scientific evidence and expert testimony helped the prosecution. Sunita’s children had testified that they saw Sunita’s body being poured with kerosene after being hit on the head by accused Joy, but the defendant claimed that it was not Sunita who was killed. The results of Sunitha’s DNA test and the statements of the doctor who conducted the postmortem of Sunitha’s body are crucial.
English Summary: Thiruvananthapuram Anad Sunitha murder case verdict