Kevin murder case: Double life-term for 10 accused in Kerala’s first honour killing

Last week, the court had convicted 10 out of 14 accused. It had found Sanu Chacko, Kevin’s wife Neenu Chacko’s brother, and nine others guilty but acquitted Neenu’s father Chacko and three others. Sanu was the first accused in the case.

A local court in Kottayam on Tuesday awarded double life terms to 10 persons convicted in the 2018 murder of Kevin P Joseph.

According to the prosecution, Kevin P Joseph was kidnapped and murdered two days after he married Neenu, 21, against the wishes of her parents in May last year.(Getty/ Representative Image)

Kevin, a 23-year-old Dalit Christian from Kottayam, was killed two days after he married Neenu Chacko, a 21-year-old Christian from an affluent family, against the wishes of her parents in May last year.

The Kottayam sessions court said it was a rarest of the rare case, but it had spared the convicts the noose considering their age. It slapped a fine of ₹40,000 on each of the convicts.

Last week, the court had convicted 10 out of 14 accused.

It had found Sanu Chacko, brother of Kevin’s wife Neenu Chacko, and nine others guilty but acquitted Neenu’s father Chacko and three others.

Sanu was the first accused in the case.

“The court found it the rarest of the rare case but did not give a death sentence considering the age of the guilty. As per the verdict, they have to spend at least 40 years in jail,” said special prosecutor CS Ajayan.

Kevin’s father, P Joseph, has welcomed the verdict but said they deserved more.

Neenu was studying at a private college in Kottayam and Kevin was working as an electrician. They were reportedly in love for two years but Neenu’s parents were opposed to their relationship.

The couple registered their marriage at the sub-registrar’s office but were summoned to the police station after Neenu’s parents filed a missing person’s complaint, police said in their charge-sheet.

At the police station, her parents tried to convince Neenu but she stood her ground. There were also attempts to forcibly take her but she insisted she was an adult and would like to live with Kevin. Both the families reportedly reached a compromise at the instance of the police and Neenu was later asked to stay in a nearby hostel and Kevin was allowed to go to his relative’s place, said the charge-sheet.

Neenu’s brother Sanu, who works in the Middle East, rushed to Kottayam after hearing of the developments and hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Kevin, said the prosecution. A group of 12 people, led by Sanu, barged into the house where Kevin was living with his relatives, kidnapped him and his relative, Anish.

Anish was let off after being thrashed for two hours and he was the first to alert Kevin’s parents and wife. Kevin’s body, bearing torture marks, was found in a river the next day.

The case was fast-tracked and the trial began six months ago. Neenu, who now stays with Kevin’s parents, deposed against her brother and parents.