Overview
- The Kollam Additional Sessions Court found the schoolteacher guilty of murdering house surgeon Dr. Vandana Das, with Judge P. N. Vinod delivering the verdict.
- The court held him liable under IPC Sections 302, 307, 326, 324, 323, 341 and 201, as well as Sections 3 and 4 of the Hospital Protection Act.
- The defence’s claim of mental illness was ruled inapplicable under Section 84 IPC after psychiatric evaluations and other evidence did not meet the legal standard.
- Prosecutors presented more than 70 witnesses, 22 material objects and 207 documents during a trial that scrutinized forensic findings and eyewitness accounts.
- The attack occurred around 4:30–4:35 am on May 10, 2023 at Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital, where the accused grabbed surgical scissors, injured police and a civilian, and fatally stabbed Dr. Das, a killing that spurred statewide protests and tougher hospital protection measures.