Sharon murder: High Court freezes third accused Nirmalakumaran Nair's sentence; notice sent to government

KOCHI: The High Court has stayed the sentence of Nirmalakumaran Nair, the third accused in the Parasala Sharon murder case. The court, which accepted the appeal of the first accused Greeshma, who was sentenced to death, has sent a notice to the government. The action was taken by a division bench comprising Justice PB Sureshkumar and Justice Jobin Sebastian.

Nirmalakumaran Nair was sentenced to three years in prison for destroying evidence. The trial court granted bail to the accused considering it to be a lesser sentence. Upholding this, the High Court clarified that the accused can be released on his own bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount. The sentence was stayed in a situation where the final arguments in the appeal are unlikely to be held soon. The court also assessed that the third accused's sentence may end by the time the appeal is heard. With this, Nirmalakumaran can be released from prison.

Greeshma's appeal seeks to cancel the death sentence issued by the Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court. The appeal states that the trial court erred in evaluating the evidence. "There was no intention to kill Sharon. The investigation team's finding that Sharon was an obstacle to the marriage is wrong," Greeshma argues. Greeshma is currently in the Attakulangara Jail in Thiruvananthapuram.