A court here on Saturday sentenced two people to rigorous imprisonment for life for the murder of an auto-rickshaw driver in Barton Hill three years ago.
Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Court–IV Judge Lilly K. pronounced the verdict against Vishnu S. Babu alias Jeevan and Manoj, both natives of Barton Hill. While the prime accused Vishnu has been sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh, Manoj has been sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹35,000.
They were found guilty for the murder of Barton Hill native Ani K.S. alias S.P. Ani on March 24, 2019.
The court also ordered that Vishnu would not receive statutory benefits such as parole for 15 years after considering his criminal background. It also directed the government to provide compensation to Ani’s differently abled wife under the victim compensation scheme.
Following a plea by the prosecution led by public prosecutor A.A. Hakim, the court also directed that legal proceedings be initiated against nine witnesses including the victim’s brother-in-law for perjury. They had turned hostile during the trial.
Two other accused, Mary Rajan and Rajesh, had been let off by the Museum police during the investigation for want of evidence. The probe had revealed that Ani had been murdered out of personal vendetta.
