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No regrets, I will kill again: Kerala man in court after being convicted in double murder case
A 58-year-old man who was found guilty by a Kerala court in a double murder case on Monday, told the court that he holds “no regret” and that he would kill again “if anyone came in his way”
A 58-year-old man who was found guilty by a Kerala court in a double murder case on Monday, told the court that he holds “no regret” and that he would kill again “if anyone came in his way”.
The remarks were made by Chenthamara in the additional district and sessions court in Palakkad district before the court convicted him for the murders of his neighbour Sudhakaran and Sudhakaran’s mother Lakshmi in January 2025.
The 58-year-old was also convicted last year by the same court for 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) in the case.
“The court has examined 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 when he barged into Sudhakaran’s home in Pothundy near Nenmara on January 27, 2025 and hacked him and his mother Lakshmi to death with a machete. The accused had violated bail conditions by staying at his home in Pothundy. 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 57-year-old accused held a 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 had entered Sajitha’s home in August 2019 to hack her to death using a machete while her husband and children were away.
In the 2019 case, Chenthamara was sentenced by the trial court to double life imprisonment and a fine of ₹3.25 lakh.
