The Principal Sessions Court, Kottayam on Tuesday awarded double life imprisonment to all the ten accused in the case of honour killing of Kevin P Joseph, a 23-year-old converted Dalit man last year.
On August 22, the Court had observed that the murder of Kevin was a case of honour killing. The convicts are close relatives of his wife. The couple had married at a registrar’s office against the wishes of her family. Kevin’s wife belonged to a so-called ‘traditional Christian family’.
“All the ten accused who were found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder), 364A (kidnapping for ransom) and Section 506 (2) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) have been awarded double life term in the case,” Special Public Prosecutor C S Ajayan told reporters in Kottayam.
Three people including prime accused Syaanu Chacko, Kevin’s brother-in-law, were also convicted under IPC Section 120 (b) (Criminal conspiracy). Four people including Kevin’s father-in-law Chacko were earlier acquitted by the court. There was a total of 14 accused in the case.
Kevin was abducted from Mannanam in Kottayam and brutally murdered by the relatives of his wife last year. His body was found in a river in Chaliyakkara in Kollam district on May 28 last year.
Kevin’s wife had filed a man-missing complaint but the police failed to act on time. It had been alleged that police laxity was due to political intervention as the accused were CPM-DYFI workers. The incident had triggered a widespread protest across the state.
