Sharon Raj murder case: A district court in Kerala sentenced to death a 24-year-old woman, Greeshma, for killing her boyfriend, Sharon Raj, by luring him to consume a pesticide-laden ayurvedic concoction in 2022.
The Neyyattinkara Additional District Sessions court observed that Greeshma’s act of inviting Sharon over under the pretext of sexual intimacy and subsequently committing the crime cannot be ignored.
“It is the State’s responsibility to ensure punishment for criminal acts. Evidence such as Sharon recording a video of the suspicious juice, despite Greeshma asking him not to record, indicates that he suspected something was wrong. Sharon fought for his life for 11 days without even consuming a drop of water,” news agency ANI quoted the court saying.
Who are Greeshma and Sharon Raj?
Greeshma studied literature at a private college in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. The victim Sharon Raj, a native of Parassala in the Thiruvananthapuram district, was a final year BSc Radiology student at the same college. Both were in a close relationship for over a year before things turned sour.
Special public prosecutor VS Vineeth Kumar charged that Greeshma wanted to end her relationship with Sharon as her family had arranged a marriage with another man from Kerala.
Later, Greeshma conspired with her uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, the third accused, and her mother to hatch a plan to kill Sharon. The court sentenced Nair to three years of imprisonment.
The prosecution also charged that the accused conspired to conceal the poison bottle when Sharon’s health was deteriorating and eventually succumbed to multiple organ failure on October 25, 2022. Kerala police swiftly arrested Greeshma on October 31.
She faced multiple charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). She has been booked under sections 302 (Murder), 364 (Abduction with intent to commit murder), 328 (Administering poison with intent to harm life), and 203 (Obstruction of justice by providing false information) of the IPC.
Seeks leniency
Greeshma sought leniency in sentencing by citing her academic achievements, lack of prior criminal history, and as her parents’ only daughter.
The court responded, saying that the crime was carried out without provocation and noting that Greeshma’s cunning attempt to cover up her crime had failed. The bench also stated that she had betrayed the trust of her boyfriend.
The court also noted that the convict’s claim of physical abuse from Sharon lacked proof. “On the contrary, Sharon had never blamed her in any messages or communications. While Sharon remained committed to the accused, she was simultaneously in contact with her fiance,” the court said, noting that the convict’s age should not be considered in addition to the gravity of the crime committed.