Palakkad: The verdict in the Nenmara double murder case, in which Sudhakaran and his mother Lakshmi were hacked to death at their residence, was postponed on Monday, reportedly due to the ill health of the presiding judge.

The Palakkad Fourth Additional District and Sessions Court was scheduled to deliver the verdict today. However, the proceedings were deferred after the judge was unable to hold court due to health reasons.

The Nenmara Police said a fresh date for pronouncing the verdict would be announced soon.

Sudhakaran and Lakshmi were murdered on January 27, 2025, in what is said to be an act of premeditated revenge by Chenthamara, who was in jail on charges of murdering Sudhakaran's wife, Sajitha, in 2019. He was out on bail when the murders of the Lakshmi and Sudhakaran were carried out, and in October 2025, he was convicted for Sajitha's murder.

The prosecution, led by M J Vijayakumar, examined 132 witnesses, of whom 81 were heard by the court. Four witnesses, all close relatives of Chenthamara, turned hostile during the trial. The prosecution has primarily relied on material evidence, including call records, bloodstains and witness statements, to establish the case. It is expected to seek capital punishment for the accused.

The chain of events began on August 31, 2019, when Chenthamara allegedly entered Sajitha's house and hacked her to death. According to the prosecution, he believed Sajitha was responsible for the breakdown of his marriage. He attacked her with a knife, slashing her neck while she was alone at home.

After securing bail on January 27, 2025, Chenthamara allegedly carried out the second attack, killing Sajitha's husband Sudhakaran and his mother Lakshmi, taking the total number of his victims to three.

According to the remand report, Chenthamara told investigators he was satisfied that his plan had succeeded and that he had executed it with meticulous planning. Police said he had purchased the weapon, a billhook knife, used in the crime several days in advance and had attempted to mislead investigators by placing a vial of poison inside the house.

Chenthamara had previously been booked in a culpable homicide case at the Palladam Police Station in Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district after allegedly running over a child with his truck.

When he was produced before the Alathur First Class Judicial Magistrate Court in January 2025, Chenthamara reportedly said he deserved to be punished for 100 years for the crime and that he did not want to be released from prison. He is also said to have admitted that he had acted alone because he believed the victims had ruined his life.