The Kerala High Court on Monday commuted to life imprisonment the capital punishment awarded to Ripper Jayanandan, an accused in a case relating to the murder of a woman at Puthenvelikkara in North Paravur
The court passed the verdict when the Ernakulam sessions court judgment awarding him death sentence came up for confirmation. The sessions court had imposed the sentence, treating the case as the ‘rarest of rare case.’
The sessions court was of the view that the accused had committed the murder in an extremely brutal and diabolical manner for money. The court had pointed out that while committing robbery, the accused had murdered a helpless sleeping woman.
The murder took place in October 2006. The prosecution case was that Baby, alias Devaki, 51, was murdered and her husband Ramakrishnan attacked by Jayanandan, alias Jayan of Mala.
Soon after the murder, the accused had sprinkled kerosene at the place of crime and left, after turning on the cooking gas stove. He had chopped her left hand at wrist and made off with six gold bangles.
The prosecution had contended that the accused was involved in 23 criminal cases registered under various police stations. The Thrissur Principal Sessions court had earlier awarded him death sentence in the Perinjanam double murder case.
