The Additional Sessions Court of Neyyattinkara, while sentencing Greeshma to death for murdering her boyfriend Sharon Raj, observed that she was beyond reformation. The court remarked that she “actively sought to prolong the victim’s suffering, designed to cause extreme pain before death.”
The Case Details
According to the case, Greeshma planned to kill her boyfriend Sharon to end their romantic relationship as her marriage was arranged with someone else, and Sharon refused to step away. To execute her plan, she gave him a kashayam (an Ayurvedic concoction) mixed with herbicide.
Sharon was admitted to the hospital, where he endured 11 days of extreme pain as his organs failed one by one. Before passing away, he informed his father that he had consumed kashayam at Greeshma’s house. Sharon succumbed to the poisoning on the 11th day.
The victim’s brother also testified that despite knowing Sharon was hospitalized, Greeshma did not reveal what she had given him to consume.
The court stated, “Greeshma killed Sharon inch by inch.”
Attempts to Hide and Previous Incidents
After being taken into custody, Greeshma attempted to commit suicide by drinking Lysol in the police station bathroom. She was then hospitalized, where she gave a statement to a Magistrate. While her confession was not recorded as a dying declaration, the Sessions Court accepted her statement as evidence, where she admitted to mixing herbicide into the kashayam.
The court also noted a prior incident where Greeshma gave Sharon juice laced with paracetamol, causing him to vomit. Internet searches on her phone revealed she had looked up “death by paracetamol overdose.” The court concluded this was an earlier attempt to murder Sharon using a similar method.
Court’s Observations and Verdict
The court condemned Greeshma’s repeated attempts to harm her boyfriend, stating that such behavior could only come from “a brutal mind.” It added that her actions sent a chilling message to society, creating fear among lovers and friends.
It gave a message that a lover cannot be trusted… Nowadays, the youths are following live-in relationships. If it is viewed lightly, it is as good as use and throw, and one can easily target their partner. It will send a wrong message to society- the court remarked.
Greeshma’s request for leniency due to her age (24 at the time of the crime) was also rejected, as the court noted that both the victim and the accused were of the same age.
Punishment
In addition to the death sentence, Greeshma was sentenced to:
- 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder),
- 5 years under Section 328 (causing harm by poison), and
- 2 years under Section 203 (giving false information) of the Indian Penal Code.
