The Kerala High Court has upheld the life term awarded by a trial court to five persons accused of murdering Renjith Johnson of Kollam in August 2018. The body of the 41-year-old was recovered from a waste dumping yard on the Tirunelveli-Nagercoil highway on September 7, 2018. The court considered the phone calls among the accused persons and circumstantial evidence as crucial in determining their role in the murder.
While upholding the life term of Manoj, Renjith, Baiju, Pranav and Vishnu, the court set aside the life sentence of Vinesh and Riyas who too had been arraigned as accused in the case, citing insufficient evidence. The High Court, in addition, removed the condition that the five accused must undergo a minimum of 25 years imprisonment, without remission.
The murder was said to be the fallout of the animosity that Manoj had towards Renjith, who had begun to live with Manoj’s wife.
Published – November 27, 2025 09:23 pm IST
