A Kerala court on Tuesday sentenced Cadell Jeanson Raja to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of four members of his family at Nanthancode, near the state capital, eight years ago. The verdict was delivered by Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court-VI Judge Vishnu K.
The prosecution had sought the death penalty for Raja, but the court declined to impose it. “The court sentenced him to life imprisonment for each of the four murders, to run concurrently,” prosecutor Dileep Sathyan told reporters.
In addition to the life terms, Raja was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment under Section 436 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a house, and five years under Section 201 for destruction of evidence. The court ruled that these two sentences will run consecutively, adding up to a total of 12 years before the life sentences commence.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹15 lakh on Raja, directing that the amount be paid to his maternal uncle. A detailed judgment is awaited.
The horrific crime occurred on April 9, 2017, when Professor A Raja Thankam, his wife Dr Jean Padma (58), their daughter Caroline (26), and a relative, Lalitha (70), were found murdered at their home in the Baines Compound, near the official residence of the Chief Minister of Kerala.
According to police investigations, Raja killed his parents, sister, and relative in a calculated and brutal manner. Arrested two days after the murders, he later claimed to have been influenced by parapsychology and astral projection, suggesting that these beliefs motivated his actions. However, the prosecution maintained that these statements were part of an attempt to escape conviction.
The police stated that Raja’s original intent was to kill his father, allegedly due to long-standing neglect, but he subsequently murdered the others as well.
