Greeshma, who was in a relationship with Sharon Raj, was found guilty of poisoning him to end their relationship. On January 17, 2024, the Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court, presided over by Judge AM Basheer, convicted her and sentenced her to death. Her uncle was sentenced to three years in prison for his role, while her mother was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
Kerala: Today, 6th Feb, The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to the State of Kerala regarding an appeal filed by Greeshma, who was sentenced to death for the murder of 23-year-old Sharon Raj from Thiruvananthapuram.
A Division Bench of Justices PB Suresh Kumar and Jobin Sebastian heard her appeal challenging the conviction and death sentence. The court has asked the State to respond to her plea against the conviction and sentence. Additionally, the Bench directed the State to reply to her request for suspending her death penalty.
Meanwhile, the court has suspended the three-year jail sentence of Nirmala Kumaran Nair, Greeshma’s uncle, who was a co-accused in the case.
Background
Greeshma, who was in a relationship with Sharon Raj, was found guilty of poisoning him to end their relationship. On January 17, 2024, the Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court, presided over by Judge AM Basheer, convicted her and sentenced her to death. Her uncle was sentenced to three years in prison for his role, while her mother was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
She was convicted under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC):
- Section 364 (kidnapping or abducting to murder)
- Section 328 (causing hurt by poison)
- Section 302 (punishment for murder)
- Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence)
Her uncle was found guilty under Section 201 IPC.
Both Greeshma and her uncle have now moved the High Court, challenging their conviction and sentence.
In his 588-page judgment, Judge AM Basheer highlighted the premeditated nature of Greeshma’s actions. The court noted that she had initially attempted to poison Sharon unsuccessfully but later administered a poison she allegedly knew would cause extreme suffering.
The judge stated, “The convict had ‘devilish thought’ in her mind because only cunning and cruel criminal can repeat the offence. Such a person cannot be reformed. There is no guarantee that she will not mix poison again in any other relationship, if she got mixed with society.”
Sharon Raj was a final-year BSc Radiology student, and Greeshma was studying literature. They met while attending a private college in Kanyakumari and were in a relationship for over a year. However, tensions arose when Greeshma’s family arranged her marriage to another man.
The prosecution argued that she conspired with her mother and uncle to kill Sharon. On October 14, 2022, Sharon visited Greeshma’s house, where she allegedly gave him an Ayurvedic tonic mixed with poison. After consuming it, his health deteriorated, and on October 25, 2022, he died due to multiple organ failure.
The prosecution further alleged that Greeshma, along with her mother and uncle, destroyed the poison bottle to eliminate evidence.
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The case sparked public outrage, leading to a detailed investigation by a Crime Branch special team headed by DySP Johnson. Greeshma was arrested on October 31, 2022, followed by her mother and uncle.
She remained in custody for nearly a year before securing bail from the Kerala High Court on September 25, 2023. However, the bail was granted under strict conditions. Eventually, in January 2024, she was convicted and sentenced to death.
Greeshma was represented by Senior Advocate Sasthamangalam S Ajithkumar and a team of advocates, including Sreejith S Nair, Satheesh Mohanan, Mahima, Vipin Raj, Sekhar G Thampi, Akhil Suseendran, Abhishek Nair MR, and Nandu Prakash JS.
