A local court on Friday sentenced Maria Susairaj, Kannada actress, to three years in prison and Emile Jerome, her fiance, to 10 years in prison. Since Susairaj and Jerome have already spent three years in jail, she would be free to walk out of prison and he will have to spend another seven years behind bars. Both left the court around 8.30pm. Susairaj will be released on Saturday and Jerome will be lodged in the Arthur Road jail for a few days before being moved to any of the central jails in the state.
Both were accused of murdering Neeraj Grover, a top executive of Synergy Adlabs, on May 7, 2008, and chopping his body off into several pieces before burning it in Manor on the outskirts of Mumbai. While convicting them on lesser charges, the court said on Thursday that the prosecution had failed to prove the murder intent.
They were convicted of destroying evidence and Jerome was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
After pronouncing the quantum of sentence, MW Chandwani, additional sessions judge, said nothing could replace Neeraj Grover for his parents, especially in their old age. “I can imagine the mental trauma undergone by Grover’s parents,” he said. “I think a sufficient fine should be awarded to them by accused 1 and 2 [Jerome and Susairaj].”
The judge fined Jerome Rs50,000 each on two counts and Susairaj Rs50,000 on one count. The compensation of Rs1.5 lakh would be handed over to Grover’s family, he said.
Dressed in white, Jerome and Susairaj listened intently to whatever the judge had to say on Friday. At times, Susairaj was seen muttering to herself and Jerome wringing his hands.
“The maximum punishment [for Susairaj] is three years imprisonment,” the judge said. In Jerome’s case, the court took into account his conduct and how Grover’s body was disposed of.
“In my opinion, 10 years is sufficient to meet the ends of justice,” the judge said.
RV Kini, chief public prosecutor, wanted a seven-year jail term for Susairaj because she had a role in destroying the evidence. For Jerome, he sought the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. “As per Susairaj’s confession, Jerome told her that Grover will not die for 3-4 hours,” Kini said. “He saw to it that Grover had died. He should be sentenced to life.”
Sharif Shaikh, Susairaj’s lawyer, said the maximum sentence for her offence was three years, which she had already served.
Khan Abdul Wahab, Jerome’s lawyer, said he was a naval officer and not a habitual criminal. “He wants to rejoin the Indian Navy once he is released,” Wahab said. “I have not come across a single Supreme Court judgment where an accused convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been sentenced to life imprisonment.”
