Today’s verdict in the infamous Uthra murder case

On Monday, the Additional Session Court-VI in Kollam will deliver its verdict in the high-profile Uthra murder case.

According to the prosecution, her husband Sooraj forced a cobra to bite Uthra and attempted to kill her multiple times.

The case with no parallels had sent shock waves across the country. Uthra, 25, had died of snakebite at her husband’s house in Anchal on May 7, 2020. A probe revealed that Sooraj had made the snake bite her.

The State Police’s crime branch conducted a thorough investigation, even using a dummy to recreate the incident. The cobra that bit Uthra was 150 centimetres long, and a bite from such a snake would only cause a 1.7 or 1.8 cm-deep puncture on the human body. The dummy experiment revealed that Sooraj had held the snake’s hood against Uthra’s body, causing the puncture to go as deep as 2.3 and 2.8 cms.

During the trial, the prosecution presented 87 witnesses, 286 pieces of documentary evidence, and 40 pieces of other evidence. In addition to three witnesses, the defence produced 24 documents and three compact discs.

Uthra’s father expressed hope that the accused would receive the harshest punishment possible.

On February 29, 2020, Sooraj made the first attempt to get a snake to bite Uthra. Uthra was bitten by a viper during the second attempt on March 2, 2020, and was admitted to a hospital in Thiruvalla for 56 days. On the night of May 6, she was recovering in Eram, Anchal, when she was fatally bitten by a snake. The next day, she died.

Suresh, a resident of Chavarukavu, Kalluvathukkal, acted as the case’s approver. Sooraj had bought the cobra from him.

Only in the murder case would the court issue a decision on Monday. Other related cases, including one involving domestic violence and one involving the forest department, are in the trial stage.