THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ruling that the 2022 Ambalamukku Vineetha murder case fell in the ‘rarest of the rare’ category, the Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court on Thursday handed capital punishment to Tamil Nadu native Rajendran. The court sentenced the 40-year-old resident of Thovala in TN’s Kanyakumari district to death saying he was not entitled to any leniency.
The parents of Vineetha, 38, and her two minor children were present in court at the time of the sentencing. The court also fined Rajendran Rs 4 lakh and said the money should go to the children.
The court had perused the various reports submitted by the district collector, police and other government agencies on Rajendran’s mental condition, conduct and behaviour to arrive at the decision. It had sought the reports after the prosecution demanded capital punishment for Rajendran, arguing that Vineetha’s murder fell in the ‘rarest of the rare’ category.
Special Public Prosecutor M Salahudeen argued Rajendran was a serial killer and that three of his four victims were women. The district collector’s report said Rajendran was a psychopath engaged in killing, with little chance for reformation. It also supported the prosecution’s argument seeking the noose for him and said, “his extermination is the only course of action to save innocent people…”
The report by the Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner said Rajendran was a hardcore criminal arraigned in a triple-murder case and could not be rehabilitated. Reports by the probation officers of Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil and Nanguneri said Rajendran was a cold-blooded killer and posed a threat to society. And while they ruled out any psychiatric issue, mental health experts said Rajendran had Cluster B personality traits characterised by dramatic, emotional and erratic behaviour.
Rajendran had sought clemency saying he had to look after his 70-year-old mother. He also said he did not commit the crime as alleged by the prosecution and hence did not have remorse. The defence counsel had urged the court to consider his age and educational qualifications – Rajendran has five degrees and two PG degrees. The request was overturned.
Vineetha, 38, who worked at a nursery, was killed by Rajendran on February 6, 2022. A team led by the then City Police Commissioner G Sparjan Kumar and comprising then Cantonment ACP V S Dinaraj, Peroorkada Inspector V Sajikumar and others had probed the case.