Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram additional sessions court on Saturday sentenced a 47-year-old man to life imprisonment for beating a catering worker to death at Pazhavangadi in March 2022. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the accused, Gireesh Kumar alias Karthikeyan. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment.The court, presided over by judge Anit Joseph, found the accused guilty of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The judgment was delivered on Friday, while the sentencing order was issued on Saturday.The victim, Kesavan, 54, a native of Kadayanallur in Tamil Nadu, was employed by Annamithra Catering Services at Kottakkakam. The incident occurred on the footpath in front of Babas Photo Lab Studio on the Overbridge-Pazhavangadi Road around 10pm on March 9, 2022.According to the prosecution, the accused assaulted Kesavan, pushed him to the ground, and stamped on his chest and abdomen. The victim sustained serious head and internal injuries. He was initially taken to General Hospital and later shifted to Govt Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, where he died on March 13.The court examined the testimonies of three alleged eyewitnesses, medical evidence and other material presented by the prosecution. The postmortem report attributed the death to blunt injuries to the head. CCTV footage retrieved from a nearby shop also formed part of the investigation.The accused assaulted Kesavan with the intention of robbing him, identifying pickpocketing as the motive for the crime. Witnesses testified that the assailant bent over the victim and attempted to remove something from his pocket.The prosecution examined 26 witnesses and marked 42 documents during the trial. A Sanoj who was then the Thampanoor circle inspector, completed the investigation and filed the chargesheet. Public prosecutor K Venni appeared for the prosecution. Crime branch sub-inspector Krishnagopal and civil police officer V S Ashish assisted the prosecution.
