Life term for Nisham

Thrissur: The Thrissur District Additional Sessions Court Thursday sentenced controversial businessman Mohammed Nisham to life imprisonment in the Chandrabose murder case.

Nisham will have to undergo 24 years of imprisonment apart from the life-term on various charges.

Additional District and Sessions Judge K.P. Sudhir slapped Nisham with a fine of Rs 80.3 lakh of which Rs 50 lakh will be given to Chandrabose’s family.

The court also directed the police to register a case against the wife of the accused for giving a false statement

On Wednesday, Nisham was found guilty by the court under various sections of IPC including 302 (murder), 326 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons, 427 (committing mischief).

The prosecution had argued for maximum punishment of death sentence and a compensation of Rs 5 crore to the family of the 51-year-old security guard Chandrabose.

Public Prosecutor C P Udayabhanu submitted that the "society wanted the maximum punishment meted out to the accused, who was a threat to the society".

Police charge sheet had contained scientific evidence and other documents to prove the charges, including murder, against Nisham.

Though Nisham's wife Amal was a witness to the incident, she had later turned hostile.

Statements of 12 eyewitnesses, including that of Amal, had been recorded under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Besides, statements of over 100 witnesses had also been recorded and attached with the charge sheet.

Nisham, who was in an inebriated state, had allegedly in a fit of rage assaulted Chandrabose and later rammed his luxury vehicle into him over delay in opening the gate of his residential complex here on January 29 last year.

The guard succumbed to injuries on February 16.