A fast track court here Friday pronounced death sentence on Govind Chamiya, convicted of raping and murdering a 23-year-old woman after throwing her out of a moving train Feb 1 - a sensational case that left Keralites shocked and angry.
Judge K. Ravindra Babu of the Thrissur fast track court also imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh on Chamiya, a resident of Tamil Nadu.
In his judgement, Justice Babu said the accused deserves no mercy because he is a threat to society at large.
Chamiya pleaded that he will henceforth do no wrong and wanted a lesser punishment. But the judge pronounced the death sentence.
Soumya's mother who was in court broke down, but said she was happy the murderer had been sentenced to death.
"I lost my daughter and hence the murderer of my daughter also should be given this sentence," said her mother. Chamiya's counsel told reporters that he would go in appeal against this verdict.
In the incident Feb 1, Soumya was going home from Kochi where she worked as a marriage proposal for her was being discussed. She was returning by the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train in the women's compartment, which did not have any police guard, when Chamiya molested her.
She was thrown off the moving train by Chamiya, who also jumped off. He then hit her head with a stone and raped her.
Later she was found in an unconscious state near the track at Vettikkattiri near Cheruthururthy at 9.30 p.m., after a guard informed the Railway Police about seeing saw someone falling off a moving train. Soumya breathed her last Feb 6.
Social activist and former Maoist Ajitha said she did not subscribe to capital punishment but this was the best sentence given the heinous nature of the crime.
"We are all waiting to see what the railways would do because there was no guard in the women's compartment and it was a serious lapse on their part," said Ajitha.