Protestors hold placards during a protest demanding justice for Jisha, a law student who was raped and murdered in Perumbavoor, Kerala, in 2016 (Express Photo/Amit Chakravarty) Protestors hold placards during a protest demanding justice for Jisha, a law student who was raped and murdered in Perumbavoor, Kerala, in 2016 (Express Photo/Amit Chakravarty)

The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Thursday awarded Ameerul Islam, 23, the death sentence for raping and murdering Jisha in Kerala in April last year. Ameerul, a migrant worker from Assam, had been convicted by the court on Tuesday. The incident had led to widespread protests, and triggered a debate on women’s safety in the southern state.

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The court Tuesday had found Ameerul guilty under Sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder), 449 (trespassing into house) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC.

Welcoming the verdict, the victim’s sister, Deepa, said, “I will not get my sister back but I am happy with the court’s verdict. We will be at peace only when he (Ameerul) is hanged. A lot of people have worked very hard to get justice for Jisha. I want to thank all of them.”

Prosecution advocate N K Unnikrishnan said, “This was a brutal murder that shocked the conscience of Kerala. The society wanted the highest punishment for the convict. We are happy that we were able to get the harshest punishment awarded to him by the court.”

Jisha was raped and murdered at her residence in Kuruppampadi area on April 28, 2016. The 30-year-old Dalit law student, who was studying at Ernakulam’s Government Law College, was found with severe injuries, some inflicted even after she was killed, the police had found. Aside from public outrage, the incident had also rocked the Kerala legislative Assembly. What is Jisha rape and murder case?

ADGP B Sandhya, the lead investigating officer told reporters, “We have worked very hard to collect all the evidence. It’s our professional dharma to accept whatever the court rules. We are happy with the judgment.”

Ameerul was arrested 49 days after incident. A Special Investigation Team, which had been set up to probe the case, had filed a 1,500-page chargesheet on September 17, 2016. The court completed hearing the case earlier this year, on December 6.

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