Double Life Imprisonment for Punalur Murderer

A Kollam court has issued a double life sentence to a 38-year-old man, Sankar, for the brutal murder of a man and a woman in Punalur. The sentencing was delivered by First Additional Sessions Judge P N Vinod, who also levied a fine of Rs one lakh for each victim. Despite receiving separate life sentences for each murder, Judge Vinod clarified that these will run concurrently, adhering to a Supreme Court ruling.

Prior to these heinous acts, Sankar had allegedly murdered another woman in Pooyappally in 2021, for which he was out on bail when the current crimes were committed. The judicial proceedings for the earlier murder case are ongoing at the SC/ST special court in Kottarakkara. A pivotal aspect of the conviction was the accounts given by two primary witnesses, including an eyewitness injured in the attack, whose testimonies were considered credible by the court.

The investigation was carried out by a team led by Punalur station house officer T Rajesh Kumar, with Kollam district public prosecutor Sicin G Mundakkal representing the prosecution. The case has intensified public discourse on the legal outcomes of violent crimes.

(With inputs from agencies.)