Nenmara double murder: Kerala court awards death penalty to convict Chenthamara, calls him a menace to society

A sessions court in Palakkad on Monday awarded the death penalty to 61-year-old Chenthamara for the murder of Sudhakaran and his 75-year-old mother Lakshmi in the Nenmara double murder case [State v Chenthamara].

Additional Sessions Judge-IV Kenneth George held that Chenthamara posed a continuing threat to society and that there was no possibility of his reformation.

The court proceeded to impose the death penalty on him for murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS). The court also ordered the convict to pay a fine of ₹20 lakh, which would be distributed among the legal heirs of the murder victims, including the orphaned daughters of Sudhakaran. It added that if Chenthamara is unable to pay the fine, the State would have to bear the costs.

The death sentence has been referred to the Kerala High Court for confirmation as required under the BNS.

The Nenmara double murder case arose out of a years-long personal feud between Chenthamara and the family of the victims.

Chenthamara had earlier been convicted for the 2019 murder of one Sajitha, the wife of Sudhakaran. Chenthamara allegedly blamed Sajitha for the breakdown of his marriage.

While out on bail in that case in January 2025, he allegedly carried out a premeditated attack on Sudhakaran and his mother, Lakshmi, at their home in Nenmara, Palakkad, killing both with a sharp weapon.

He was accused of brutally hacking Sudhakaran and Lakshmi to death at their residence in Pothundi, Nenmara, on January 27, 2025.

Chenthamara was said to have harboured a grudge against the family. He is alleged to have meticulously planned the attack over several years, and procured the weapons in advance to commit the crime.

The prosecution further claimed that he attempted to mislead investigators by placing a bottle of poison inside his house to create the impression that he had attempted suicide after the killings.

The trial court convicted Chenthamara of murder and wrongful restraint after accepting the prosecution's case that the killings were premeditated.

On July 13, the court sought Chenthamara's response on the question of his punishment. The court found the convict to be unrepentant.

"His arrogant and spontaneous replies to queries during the sentencing stage further reveal a hardened disposition and a propensity to repeat such offences," the court said.

The court concluded that Chenthamara continued to pose a serious threat to society. It observed that his conduct before, during and after the trial showed no genuine sign of remorse and that there was no possibility of his reformation.

"The record unmistakably demonstrates that the accused is a menace to society. There is no trace of remorse discernible in his conduct. On the contrary, he continues to defend his own cause with defiance ... The accused, being a middle-aged person without any mental or physical disabilities, exhibits a hardened criminal disposition, unrepentant in attitude and unrestrained in action. His continued justification of his deeds, coupled with the absence of any mitigating circumstance, reinforces the conclusion that he poses a grave and continuing threat to the social order," the court said.

The defence had relied on a mitigation report prepared by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), which had referred to Chenthamara's expressions of regret and his willingness to financially support the victim's children through prison earnings.

The defence added that Chenthamara was in a disturbed mental state at the time of the crime.

The court, however, rejected these arguments, stating that such claims made by the convict were neither unconvincing nor genuine.

"The subsequent representation of remorse and rehabilitation is to be brushed aside as mere crocodile tears, intended only to evade the rigour of stringent punishment," the court observed.

It concluded that the crime fell squarely within the 'rarest of rare cases' category, warranting the imposition of the death sentence.

Additional public prosecutor MJ Vijayakumar appeared for the State.

Advocate Jacob Mathew represented Chenthamara.

[Read Judgment]