Four days after the Palakkad Sessions Court convicted Chenthamara (61) in the Nenmara twin murder case, it will pronounce the sentence on Monday.
The court had found Chenthamara guilty of murdering Sudhakaran and his mother, Lakshmi, who were hacked to death at their home in Pothundi, Nenmara, in January 2025. The murders were committed while he was out on bail in the murder case of Sudhakaran’s wife, Sajitha, for which he was later convicted in October 2025.
The court the heard arguments on sentencing on July 16. The prosecution sought the death penalty, a demand supported by the daughters of Sudhakaran and Sajitha.
The defence, however, argued that Chenthamara was in a depressed mental state at the time of the murders. It contended that this was evident from his alleged attempt to die by suicide by consuming poison shortly after killing Sudhakaran and Lakshmi. The defence urged the court to take his psychological condition into account while deciding the sentence.
Chenthamara’s conduct in court was often volatile. He even challenged the judge to impose any sentence he deemed fit, while at other moments he expressed remorse and sympathy for the victims’ children. He also remarked, “I am not Gandhi to show the other cheek if I get slapped. If needed, I will kill more,” despite his counsel’s advice to refrain from making provocative statements.
However, according to the mitigation report submitted before the Additional District and Sessions Court-IV, Palakkad, ahead of sentencing, Chenthamara expressed a desire to financially support the victims’ minor daughter in a fatherly role. The report states that he regretted the murders and wished to earn money through prison labour, if physically able, and send his savings to the children.
Additional Sessions Judge-IV Kenneth George convicted Chenthamara of murder and wrongful restraint after accepting the prosecution’s argument that the killings were a premeditated act of revenge.
According to the prosecution, Chenthamara murdered Sudhakaran and Lakshmi on January 27, 2025. It examined 132 witnesses, of whom 81 testified before the court. Although four witnesses, all close relatives of the accused, turned hostile, the prosecution relied on forensic evidence, call records, bloodstain analysis and witness testimonies to establish its case.
The defence, meanwhile, maintained that the prosecution had failed to prove motive beyond reasonable doubt and had not produced sufficient evidence to sustain the conviction.
Police said Chenthamara had purchased the machete used in the killings several days in advance and attempted to mislead investigators by placing a vial of poison inside the house. According to the remand report, he told investigators he was satisfied that he had executed his plan meticulously.
