Dalit Christian honour killing: 10 get double life sentence
Kottayam : A court here on Tuesday awarded double life imprisonment to 10 people for the honour killing of a 23-year-old Dalit Christian man last year, which had triggered widespread protests across the state.
The Principal Sessions Court on August 22 had observed that the murder of Kevin P Joseph, involving his wife's relatives, was a case of honour killing.
All the 10 accused who were found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder), 364A (kidnapping for ransom) and Section 506 (2) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) have been awarded double life term in the case, Special Public Prosecutor C S Ajayan told reporters here.
Three people including prime accused Syaanu Chacko, Kevin's brother-in-law, were also convicted under IPC Section 120 (b) (Criminal conspiracy). There were 14 accused in the case. Four people including Kevin's father-in-law Chacko were acquitted for want of evidence.
The death of Kevin, who was abducted along with a relative from Mannanam in the district, had sparked protests in the state. The victim's kin had alleged that he died due to police laxity as they refused to conduct an investigation on the basis of his wife's complaint.
Kevin's body was found on May 28 last year in a stream in Chaliyakkara in Kollam district. The couple had married at a registrar's office in Ettumanoor against the wishes of her family.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
