Kerala Court Sentences Greeshma to Death for Poisoning Lover Sharon Raj

A court in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has sentenced 24-year-old S.S.  Greeshma to death for killing her boyfriend, Sharon Raj, by poisoning him in 2022. The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 4 lakh on the convict.

The judgment was delivered by Additional District Judge Bashir A.M., who described the crime as "rare and unusual." The judgment noted that  Greeshma gradually poisoned Sharon and left multiple traces of evidence on her cloud account.

The case pertains to the death of Sharon Raj, a resident of Parassala, Thiruvananthapuram.  Greeshma, who lived in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari, was in a relationship with Sharon, who was 23 at the time, according to the state. After her family arranged a marriage with a soldier from Nagercoil,  Greeshma wanted to end her relationship with Sharon, but he refused. This led to  Greeshma and her family planning the murder. On October 14, 2022,  Greeshma invited Sharon to her house and poisoned him with an Ayurvedic concoction called Parakavad, which contained toxic substances.

After 11 days in a medical college in Thiruvananthapuram, Sharon died due to organ failure. Sharon, a B.Sc. student in radiology at Kanyakumari College, had been in a relationship with  Greeshma, who was pursuing a master's degree in literature at the same institution.

In the murder case, the court convicted  Greeshma and her uncle. The third accomplice, Nirmalakumaran Nayar, was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment for destroying evidence.  Greeshma's mother, Sindhu, was acquitted due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

The 600-page judgment mentioned that Sharon endured intense pain during the 11 days after being poisoned. It was noted that he could not even drink a drop of water during that time.

The government also argued that  Greeshma attempted to poison Sharon with paracetamol pills mixed in juice last August, and Sharon filmed the "juice challenge" video when he refused to participate.

The judge stated in the verdict that this case was exceptional due to the use of trust and love to commit the murder. As a result,  Greeshma was sentenced to death.  Greeshma was found guilty under sections 302 (punishment for murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 364 (kidnapping or abduction for murder), 328 (causing harm with poison), and 203 (giving false information about a crime).

The court also praised the state police for conducting a "smart" investigation based on digital and forensic evidence.