A Kerala court sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the 2020 honor killing of 27-year-old Aneesh, an OBC man who married Haritha, a woman from a dominant caste. Convicted for murder and evidence destruction, the defendants, Haritha’s father and uncle, had repeatedly threatened the couple. Haritha, fearing for her life, hopes the convicts remain imprisoned permanently.
Kerala: A Kerala court in Palakkad district has sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the murder of a 27-year-old man, Aneesh, who belonged to an OBC community, after he married Haritha, a woman from a dominant caste. Aneesh was fatally attacked by his father-in-law Prabhu Kumar and uncle-in-law Suresh Kumar in December 2020, three months after his marriage. The attack, involving a rod and knife, led to multiple injuries, and Aneesh tragically succumbed to his wounds en route to the hospital.
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On October 25, the court found Prabhu Kumar and Suresh Kumar guilty of murder and evidence destruction, imposing a Rs 50,000 fine each—funds to be awarded to Haritha. Judge R Vinayaka Rao declared the men guilty, recognizing the attack as an honor killing, as Aneesh’s family had previously reported numerous threats from Haritha’s family due to their perceived loss of ‘honor’ related to caste and class differences.
Haritha, fearing for her safety, has emphasized that “the convicts should spend the rest of their lives in jail” to prevent further harm, while Aneesh’s parents feel that the perpetrators deserved a double life sentence to reflect the severity of their crime. This case highlights ongoing challenges surrounding caste-based honor crimes and the judiciary’s role in addressing them.
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