Kerala Doctor Vandana Das Murder
Convict G Sandeep sentenced to life imprisonment: Reports
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kollam Additional Sessions Court, on Saturday, sentenced G. Sandeep to life imprisonment for the murder of Dr. Vandana Das. who was fatally stabbed with a surgical knife while on duty at a hospital in Kollam district on May 10, 2023.
Sandeep had been convicted on March 17 for multiple offences under the IPC, including murder, destruction of evidence, and wrongful restraint.
Judge P. N. Vinod found him guilty under several sections, including 302 for murder, earning life imprisonment, and 307 for attempted murder, carrying a two-year term. Altogether, he received 30 years for various offences.
The court awarded life imprisonment for murder, 10 years for attempt to murder, 10 years for voluntarily causing grievous hurt, 6 years for causing hurt using dangerous weapons, 6 months for voluntarily causing hurt, 2 years for causing disappearance of evidence, 1 month for wrongful restraint, 3 months for voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant to deter them from their duty and 2 years for voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant to deter them from their duty using dangerous weapons.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1,65 lakh on Sandeep for various offences.
Special Public Prosecutor Prathap G Padikkal said he would recommend appealing to seek the death penalty instead of life imprisonment. While the prosecution pushed for the maximum sentence, the court likely didn’t deem it among the “rarest of rare” cases.
Vandana’s father, Mohandas, expressed some relief at the verdict but said he couldn’t say justice had been fully served, adding that they would discuss appealing for a harsher sentence with the public prosecutor. Her mother, Vasanthakumari, said the family could only hope for the maximum punishment, with the court to decide the sentence. “We want the convict to feel the same pain my daughter endured; he stabbed her 27 times,” she recalled.
The tragic incident
Dr. Vandana Das, 22, the only daughter of Mohandas and Vasanthakumari from Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam district, had completed her MBBS and was working as a house surgeon at Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital.
In the early hours of May 10, 2023, Sandeep, a resident of Cherukarakonam near Kudavattoor, was brought to the hospital by Pooyappally police for a medical examination. According to the prosecution, he suddenly turned violent, seized surgical scissors from the dressing room, and attacked the hospital staff.