Palakkad, 16 July (H.S.):The Palakkad Additional Sessions Court is set to pronounce the sentence on Thursday in the sensational Nenmara double murder case, in which convict Chenthamara was found guilty of hacking to death a man and his elderly mother. The judgment comes nearly one and a half years after the brutal killings that shocked Kerala.

Before announcing the sentence, the court will consider a mitigation report prepared by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), as mandated under the Supreme Court's 2002 guidelines for sentencing in capital punishment cases. The report, which will be submitted on Thursday, assesses the convict's behaviour, body language, mental condition and prospects for reform based on counselling sessions conducted over the past two days. Chenthamara will appear before the court through video conferencing.

The prosecution has strongly argued that the case falls under the rarest of rare category and has sought the death penalty. It rejected the defence's claim that the convict was suffering from mental illness, producing a report from the district psychologist stating that he had no psychiatric disorder. During the sentencing hearing, when the court asked whether he had anything to say, Chenthamara reportedly replied that he should be sentenced to death.

The defence, however, urged the court to consider the possibility of reformation and argued against capital punishment.

The case has drawn widespread attention because Chenthamara was already serving a double life sentence for another murder. Six years ago, he was convicted of murdering Sajitha, the wife of one of the latest victims, Sudhakaran, by slitting her throat. He was released on bail in that case before allegedly committing the double murder.

On January 27, 2025, Chenthamara allegedly hacked Sudhakaran and his mother Lakshmi to death at Pothundi in Nenmara. Investigators said the crime was driven by his long-held suspicion that Sajitha and her family were responsible for the breakdown of his own family life, leading him to target the surviving members of the household.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman