The prosecution in the case relating to the murder of a woman employee of a private nursery at Ambalamukku in Thiruvananthapuram has petitioned the court to appoint an interpreter to keep the accused, a Tamil Nadu native, abreast of the progress in the trial.
The case pertaining to the murder of Nedumangad native Vineetha on February 6, 2022, is currently being considered by Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Judge VII Prasun Mohan.
The accused, Rajendran, hails from Kavalkinaru in Tirunelveli. The prosecution sought to impress upon the court the possibility of the accused feigning unawareness about the proceedings in the absence of an interpreter. The Criminal Procedure Code makes it mandatory that the accused be made to understand the proceedings during the trial.
The victim was stabbed using a knife when she purportedly resisted his attempts to steal her necklace on a Sunday when the State had observed lockdown-like curbs and public movement was restricted.
Rajendran was nabbed five days after the incident.
He is also an accused in the murder of a customs officer and three members of his family in Tamil Nadu.