Sharon Raj murder: Accused-girlfriend Greeshma moves Supreme Court to transfer trial from Kerala to TN

Greeshma, the 22-year-old woman who is the prime accused in the Sharon Raj murder case, filed a plea before the Supreme Court on Monday seeking transfer of the murder trial from a Kerala court to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu [Greeshma @ Sreekutty & Ors vs State of Kerala]..Greeshma is said to be the former girlfriend of 23-year-old Thiruvananthapuram resident Sharon Raj. She stands accused of murdering Raj by giving him a poisoned drink..The transfer plea before the Supreme Court said that the alleged incident took place within the jurisdiction of the Palukal Police Station in Tamil Nadu and hence a Tamil Nadu court would have jurisdiction to hear the case. .Pertinently, the petitioner claimed that the offence of kidnapping was added by the Kerala police at a belated stage so that a Kerala court could take jurisdiction over the matter. This was done while ignoring Raj's dying declaration, wherein he said that he himself had gone to Greeshma's house to get a book, the petition added."They (police) were fully aware that according to allegations in the final report till then, the entire jurisdiction to try the offender took place beyond the jurisdiction of the Neyyattinkara (Kerala) Sessions Court. So, in order to avoid this difficulty, the police included the sec, 364 IPC also in the final report only to create a jurisdiction for the Neyyattinkara Sessions Judge," the plea stated..The plea further contended that the continuation of the trial in Kerala would affect Greeshma's right to a fair trial. Concern was also raised in the petition that Greeshma's family is facing apprehension that they may be physically harmed by Raj's family.Further, the plea submitted that Greeshma's siblings and her ailing father on whom she is financially dependent reside at Kanyakumari. Hence, she urged the Supreme Court to transfer the trial to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.The petition was filed through advocate Sriram Parakkat..The Kerala High Court had recently allowed Greeshma's release on bail in an order passed on September 25. Greeshma along with her mother and uncle had also filed a similar plea before the Kerala High Court seeking transfer of trial to Tamil Nadu. Justice PV Kunhikrishnan of the High Court had initially admitted the plea and ordered a stay on the Kerala trial court order for three weeks. This case was later closed by the High Court on September 26 after the parties said that they would raise the issue during the trial."Now both sides submitted that, that question may be left open and the petitioners may be allowed to raise the same during trial. If that be so, this Crl.M.C itself can be closed allowing the petitioner to raise the question of jurisdiction at the time of trial," the High Court said. .Following this development, a transfer plea has now been filed before the Supreme Court. .Sharon Raj died in October 2022 due to multiple organ failure. The police claim that Greeshma had poisoned him after conspiring with her mother and uncle. Raj and Greeshma are stated to have met when they were students at a private college in Kanyakumari. The two had allegedly been in a relationship for around a year, but Greeshma wanted to break it off as her family had fixed her marriage with another man.Since Sharon was unwilling to let the relationship end, Greeshma along with her mother and uncle hatched a conspiracy to kill Sharon by poisoning him, the prosecution has alleged.When Sharon visited Greeshma at her house in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, Greeshma allegedly gave him a drink laced with a poison that she had prepared. Her mother and uncle concealed the bottle containing the poison, the prosecution added.Sharon Raj's health is said to have deteriorated rapidly in the next few days before he died.In less than a week after his death, Greeshma was arrested. Later, her mother and uncle were also arrested in connection with the case.Greeshma's mother and uncle were eventually able to secure bail but Greeshma remained behind bars for some more time before the High Court granted her bail last month.