The Kerala High Court on Monday upheld the death sentence for Ameerul Islam, convicted in the 2016 rape and murder of a 30-year-old Dalit law student in Perumbavoor. The high court dismissed Islam’s appeal against the sessions court verdict and confirmed the capital punishment.
The court had said that the confirmation of the capital punishment was also made based on the death sentence reference from the sessions court.
It is pertinent to note that Ameerul Islam, a migrant laborer from Assam, was charged with the brutal assault, rape, and murder of the woman on April 28, 2016. The victim, who came from a poor family, was attacked with sharp-edged weapons before being murdered in her home.
In 2017, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court found Islam guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including house trespass to commit an offence punishable with death, wrongful confinement, murder, and rape. The sessions court awarded Islam the death penalty for his heinous crimes.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) used DNA technology and call record verification to establish Islam’s involvement. Islam fled Perumbavoor after the crime but was arrested 50 days later in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. The investigation involved over 100 police personnel and questioning of more than 1,500 individuals.