The accused, Chenthamara, in the Nenmara twin murder case. (file)
| Photo Credit: special arrangement
The Additional District and Sessions Court-IV, Palakkad, on Monday (July 13, 2026) found accused Chenthamara guilty of murdering his neighbour Sudhakaran and mother Lakshmi at Pothundy in Nenmara in Palakkad, Kerala, on January 27, 2025. The court will pronounce the sentence on July 15.
The verdict, originally scheduled for July 6, was deferred to July 13 after the judge was indisposed.
Chenthamara, the lone accused, appeared remorseless as the verdict was delivered. Asked if he had anything to say, he told the court to “hang” him.
The District Probation Officer informed the court that Chenthamara posed a continuing threat to society and was likely to commit further crimes if released.
Shocking murders
The murders had shocked Kerala as Chenthamara committed them while out on bail in the 2019 murder of Sudhakaran’s wife Sajitha.
The prosecution established that Chenthamara harboured deep-seated hostility towards Sudhakaran’s family. It said he had planned to kill Sudhakaran and hacked Lakshmi to death after she raised an alarm during the attack.
After the murders, Chenthamara fled into the Pothundy hills and remained in hiding for two days before being arrested on January 29, when he reportedly emerged from the forest in search of food. The police filed a 480-page chargesheet on the 57th day after the murders.
The case triggered widespread criticism of the police for allegedly ignoring repeated complaints made by Sudhakaran’s family. Chenthamara had allegedly violated his bail conditions by staying at his house in Pothundy despite a court order barring him from residing there. The police were accused of failing to act despite being informed of the violation.
The conviction comes months after the same court, on October 18, 2025, sentenced Chenthamara to double life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹3.25 lakh for murdering Sajitha on August 31, 2019.
According to the prosecution, Chenthamara believed Sajitha and her family were responsible for his wife leaving him. On August 31, 2019, he entered Sajitha’s kitchen with a machete while she was preparing lunch. Her children were at school and her husband, Sudhakaran, was at work in Tamil Nadu. After killing her, he fled into the Nelliyampathy forests before being arrested the following day.
Although the police filed the chargesheet in the Sajitha murder case in 2020, the trial began only in August 2025. Several witnesses, including Chenthamara’s estranged wife, her brother and friends, had testified against him.
The double murder intensified public anger over the handling of Chenthamara’s bail. Sudhakaran’s daughters, Atulya and Akhila, repeatedly raised concerns about their safety and demanded that Chenthamara never be released.
Following Monday’s conviction, they welcomed the verdict and reiterated their demand for the maximum punishment.
Published – July 13, 2026 12:08 pm IST
