‘I will kill again’: Kerala man in court after being convicted in double murder case

The remarks were made by Chenthamara (58) in the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kerala’s Palakkad district

A man, who was found guilty by a Kerala court of murdering two persons on Monday, told the court that he has ‘no regrets’ and that he would kill again ‘if anyone came in his way’.

Chenthamara was also convicted last year by the same court. (HT Sourced Photo)

The remarks were made by Chenthamara (58) in the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kerala’s Palakkad district before the court convicted him for the murders of his neighbour Sudhakaran and his mother Lakshmi in January 2025.

Chenthamara was also convicted last year by the same court of murdering Sudhakaran’s wife Sajitha in Pothundy in 2019.

Public prosecutor MJ Vijayakumar said the accused made the remarks in response to the court’s observations that the district probation officer found Chenthamara to have no moral guilt about committing the murders and posing a threat to society.

“That’s when Chenthamara said ‘Yes, I have no regrets. I am not a Gandhian. I will do it (kill) again if anyone comes in my way’,” the public prosecutor told HT.

Though the hearing on the quantum of punishment is set for July 15, the accused also told the court on Monday “to go ahead and hang” him, the advocate said.

The trial court found Chenthamara guilty under sections 101 (murder) and 126 (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“The court has examined threadbare all the factors in the case and come to this verdict. The circumstantial evidence, the testimonies of witnesses along with medical and forensic evidence that the prosecution submitted in court proved to be key against the accused. The police did a great job in collecting evidence scientifically,” Vijayakumar said.

“We will certainly appeal for the death penalty on July 15. We are hopeful that the court will agree with our stand,” he added.

Chenthamara was out on bail in the 2019 murder case. On January 27, 2025, he barged into Sudhakaran’s home in Pothundy near Nenmara, and hacked him and his mother Lakshmi to death with a machete.

The accused violated bail conditions. Police also came under fire for not detecting the accused’s presence in the area and preventing the murders despite the threat he posed to Sudhakaran’s family.

According to the prosecution, the accused held deep-seated grudge against Sudhakaran and his family for years after a local astrologer told him that the family was responsible for his wife leaving him.

Spurred by personal enmity, Chenthamara entered Sudhakaran’s home in August 2019 to kill his wife using a machete while her husband and children were away.

In the 2019 case, the trial court sentenced Chenthamara to a double life term and a fine of ₹3.25 lakh.