Greeshma, convicted by a lower court in Kerala for the murder of Sharon Raj, has sought a reduction in her sentence, arguing that her young age and academic aptitude deserve an opportunity for reformation. On Friday, January 17, the court found Greeshma and her uncle, Nirmal Kumar, guilty of murdering 23-year-old Sharon Raj, a native of Parasala in Kerala. Greeshma’s mother Sindhu, who was arraigned as co-accused, had been acquitted.
Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court Judge AM Basheer was hearing the final arguments on Saturday and is expected to deliver the quantum of the sentence on Monday. An emotionally charged prosecution pleaded with the judge to pronounce the death penalty on the grounds that it was “the rarest of rare cases.”
“Greeshma’s conduct was similar to a devil. There were repeated attempts by Greeshma to murder Sharon. There should not be any leniency shown towards her. The pain that Sharon underwent for 11 days is unexplainable. She stomped on the concept of love itself,” the prosecution said.
Meanwhile, Greeshma's counsel argued that capital punishment was unwarranted, emphasising that she was 22 years old at the time of the murder and had demonstrated signs of reformation since. Submitting her MA certificate, Greeshma said that she was just 24 years old and that she wanted an opportunity to build her life. She also said that Sharon had blackmailed her with their private photos, leaving her with no choice but to either die by suicide or kill Sharon, who allegedly had a criminal background.
Greeshma, a resident of Ramavarmachirai in Kanyakumari district, had wanted to end her romantic relationship with Sharon after her marriage was fixed with another man, but Sharon was not ready for a breakup. She subsequently confessed to the police that she mixed poison in the kashayam (Ayurvedic concoction) that she offered him to drink.
Sharon was a final-year BSc Radiology student, while Greeshma was pursuing a postgraduate degree in literature when she killed him. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Monday, January 20.