Kerala Dalit Christian Kevin Joseph murder case: Kottayam court to pronounce verdict on August 14

Kottayam: The Kottayam principal sessions court in Kerala will pronounce the verdict in Dalit Christian Kevin Joseph’s murder case on August 14.

Earlier, the Kerala high court had asked the Kottayam principal sessions court to pronounce the verdict of the case within six months. However, the Kottayam principal sessions court will pronounce the verdict within three months.

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In May, experts of the forensic department in Kerala stated in the Kottayam principal sessions court that Kevin was forcibly drowned.  The report revealed that Kevin had a large amount of water in his lungs and there were indicators that he struggled while he was drowning.

Kevin was conscious when he fell into the water and at the time of the incident, the water in the pond was at knee level, stated the report.

In May 2018, the 23-year-old Kevin was allegedly killed by a gang of 14 people for marrying 20-year-old Neenu, who is from a wealthy family in Kerala.  Kevin was in a relationship with Neenu. The latter couldn't get the approval of her parents, who were worried that their “prestige was at stake”, given his financial status.

A day after he was abducted, Kevin's body was found floating in a river on May 28. His head, eyes and internal organs were severely injured. Kevin and Neenu were married for three days and were forced to live separately.

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Neenu’s parents were arrested after she complained to the police that they were involved in the crime.

According to reports, a gang led by Neenu's brother Shanu abducted Kevin from his friend's residence at Gandhi Nagar to Thenmala and drowned him in a stream at Chaliyakkara, near Thenmala, on May 28, 2018. There are 14 accused in the case. The trial began on April 24 with the examination of 113 out of the 186 witnesses.

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