Will serial killer Cyanide Mohan Kumar get death penalty?

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Dec 19, 2013: The Fourth Additional District and Sessions Court has postponed the announcement of quantum of punishment to serial killer Mohan Kumar  to December 20, Friday at 3 pm. The Court heard arguments relating to the quantum of punishment on December 19, Thursday after Mohan Kumar was convicted in three of the murder cases.

Earlier on December 17, the court had held him guilty in the cases of murders of Anitha of Barimar and Leelavathi of Vamadapadavu. On December 18, he was convicted in the Sunanda Pervuaje murder case. He is still facing charges of murdering 17 more women.

On Thursday, the convict Mohan Kumar defended his own case  and pleaded leniency in a written appeal to the Judge BK Naik on the grounds that he is from a poor family and has a family comprising his wife, two children and sick mother to take care of.

Meanwhile Special Public Prosecutor Cheyabba Beary  pleaded that Mohan Kumar be sentenced to death, stating “He(Mohan) considered women as a tool of enjoyment and gruesomely murdered them. He has no respect for women.”

He further said “Mohan  who was a teacher ought to have been a role model has committed brutal crimes.”

He also pleaded that the court showed no leniency to such a person who is a habitual murderer and rapist and should get death sentence.”

Mohan  who defended himself in the court argued that the post-mortem reports of the victims did not mention the presence of cyanide in their bodies and that  the cyanide which was seized from his home was planted. If Cyanide which is like urea is moist, the tablets found in the house were dry, he argued.

 He also pointed out the statement of Mohammad K Puttur who said he had not supplied cyanide to Mohan Kumar. In fact, Moihammad  who had initially been a witness against Mohan had later turned hostile. Mohan  also argued that he did not know how  to forge ID cards and seals and added  it was nothing but a cooked up story that he used forged seals and ID cards to impress upon the women whom he later on reportedly killed.

Mohan further argued that if the charge sheet was filed  on January 22, 2010, the police took time to submit the seals and ID cards as evidence  on February 2, just to plant evidence.

The court which heard both the sides ruled that circumstantial evidences proved Mohan’s guilt. It also noted that the judgement was given considering the circumstantial evidence, medical and  forensic reports and  extra-judicial confession of the accused.

The  extra-judicial confession is referred to here considering  Mohan’s confession before a priest in a temple where he went to admit his crime.