Thrissur Fast Track Court Judge K. Raveendra Babu awarded death sentence to Govindachamy on November 11, 2011, under IPC Section 302.
The court said planning of the crime was diabolic and execution was brutal. The court also observed that the convict should be given punishment to ensure safety of women. The court found that Govindachamy was a habitual offender and had been convicted in more than eight criminal cases in Tamil Nadu.
The court accepted the arguments of the prosecution that Govindachamy pushed Sowmya, an employee with a private firm in Kochi, out of the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train on February 1, 2011 after attempting to rob her.
He raped the seriously injured woman in the woods near the railway tacks at Vallathole Nagar. Sowmya succumbed to her injuries at the Government Medical College, Thrissur, on February 6.
A Division Bench of the Kerala HC confirmed the death sentence of Govindachamy on December 17, 2013.
