Kerala HC upholds death sentence for Assam man for rape, murder of Dalit law student

The Kerala high court on Monday upheld the death sentence handed over to Muhammed Ameer-ul-Islam by a trial court after he was found guilty of raping and brutally murdering a female Dalit law student in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district in 2016.

The maximum punishment to the convict, who hails from Assam, was upheld by a division bench comprising Justices PB Suresh Kumar and S Manu.

The Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court had in December 2017 found Ameer-ul-Islam guilty of various offences, including trespassing house, wrongful confinement, rape and murder, among others.

The prosecution during the trial argued that the accused had under the influence of alcohol trespassed into the house of the victim and attempted to rape her. Upon being resisted, the accused grievously injured her in her private parts using a sharp weapon and eventually murdered her.

The victim, who belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, was studying law at the time and lived with her mother in Perumbavoor. The town, 40 kilometres from Kochi, is a major hub of migrant workers in the state.