Uthra’s mother Manimegalai says she is unhappy with the verdict. “He was to be awarded death penalty for the brutal act he committed. Will go for appeal in the higher court,” she added.
KOLLAM: Sooraj S Kumar, accused of murdering his wife Uthra by getting her bitten by a venomous snake, has been awarded a double life sentence in addition to 17 years imprisonment by the Kollam Additional Session Court on Wednesday. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Sooraj, 32, in the sensational murder case. Uthra’s family said they would go for appeal against the verdict.
Earlier, the court, while providing the verdict, had pronounced the accused guilty of killing his sleeping wife by letting loose a cobra and forcing it to bite her, saying the convict did not deserve any sympathy for this heinous crime.
The prosecution had demanded death penalty for Sooraj. Uthra’s mother Manimegalai says she is unhappy with the verdict. “He was to be awarded death penalty for the brutal act he committed. Will go for appeal in the higher court,” she added.
Pronouncing the quantum of sentence, judge M Mohan sentenced the accused to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,00,000 for the offence under IPC 302 (murder). It further awarded imprisonment for life under IPC 307 (Attempt to murder). For the other two sections – 328 (Causing hurt by means of poison with intent to commit an offence) and 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of the offence) he has been awarded 10 years and seven years imprisonment.
“The court didn’t go for capital punishment by considering the young age of the convict. Except for murder, for all other charges he was awarded the maximum punishment,” said prosecutor advocate G Mohanraj. He will be serving the life imprisonment punishment only after completing the terms sentenced under the other two sections,” he added.
Uthra, 25, died of snakebite at her husband’s house in Anchal on May 7, 2020. It was alleged that her husband Sooraj bought snakes – first a viper and then a cobra – to kill Uthra.
The prosecution produced 87 witnesses, 286 pieces of documentary evidence and 40 other pieces of evidence during the trial. The defence examined three witnesses, besides producing 24 documents and three compact discs.
