The Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court on Monday awarded the death sentence to SS Greeshma, who was convicted of murdering her 23-year-old boyfriend, Sharon Raj, by administering a lethal herbicide-laced Ayurvedic concoction in October 2022. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on Greeshma.

In addition to the death sentence, the court sentenced Greeshma to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs1 lakh under Section 364 (kidnapping or abduction for murder), 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs50,000 under Section 328 (causing harm using poison), and 2 years of imprisonment under Section 203 (destroying evidence or providing false information to shield an offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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Greeshma’s uncle, Nirmal Kumar Nair, received a three-year imprisonment sentence for destroying evidence. However, the court acquitted Greeshma’s mother, Sindhu, citing insufficient evidence.

Additional Sessions Court Judge AM Basheer, in a 586-page verdict, ruled the case as “rarest-of-rare” and noted that the meticulously planned murder deserved no leniency despite Greeshma’s young age and educational background.

The judge remarked, “The accused betrayed Sharon’s trust. Even on his deathbed, Sharon loved her and hoped she would not be punished.”

The court observed that Greeshma not only killed Sharon but also desecrated the sanctity of love, sending a disturbing message to society. “She carried evidence of her crime from the day it was committed,” the judge said.

Sharon Raj, a BSc Radiology student, succumbed to multiple organ failure on October 25, 2022, 11 days after consuming the poisonous concoction. Greeshma, his girlfriend, prepared the mixture by combining paraquat dichloride—a toxic herbicide—with an Ayurvedic medicine and served it to Sharon at her home on October 14, 2022.

To mask the bitter taste, she gave Sharon mango juice along with the concoction. Sharon fell ill shortly after leaving her house and was initially treated at the Parassala Government Hospital.

Despite subsequent visits to other hospitals, his condition deteriorated, and he was eventually admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital’s ICU. Sharon suffered irreversible liver, kidney, and lung damage and died of cardiac arrest caused by organ failure.

Greeshma and Sharon began their relationship in 2021, but she sought to end it after getting engaged to an army officer in 2022. Sharon, who had unofficially married Greeshma, was reluctant to part ways. Frustrated, Greeshma decided to eliminate him secretly.

Greeshma was convicted under multiple IPC sections, including murder (Section 302), while her uncle was found guilty under Section 201 for destroying evidence.

Sharon’s parents expressed satisfaction with the court’s judgment.

“My son has received the justice he deserves,” his mother stated. However, they expressed disappointment over the acquittal of Greeshma’s mother, Sindhu, and announced plans to appeal against it in the High Court.