Saranya is escorted by the police (folder) | Photo credit: Special arrangement
An additional sessions court at Taliparamba, Kannur, on Monday (January 19, 2026) found Sharanya guilty of murdering her one-and-a-half-year-old child by throwing him into the sea near Taliparamba. The court ruled that the prosecution had proved the charge of murder beyond reasonable doubt.
Sharanya’s friend and alleged lover Nithin, the other accused in the case, was acquitted as the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a criminal conspiracy against him. The court said there was insufficient evidence to link him directly to the commission of the crime.
Sentencing was due later in the day.
The prosecution alleged that Sharanya killed the child on 17 February 2020 to pursue her life with Nithin after marital differences with her husband Pranav.
According to the prosecution, Sharanya took the sleeping child from the house in the early hours and threw him into the sea. The child’s body was later found among rocks on the beach. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was a head injury from hitting a rock.
The investigation initially explored multiple angles, including suspicions against the husband, but later focused on Sharanya based on circumstantial and scientific evidence. Investigators noted inconsistencies in her statements, salt water stains on the clothes she was wearing on the night of the incident and call records linking her to Nithin. After persistent questioning, Sharanya confessed to the crime.
Prosecutor U. Ramesan led the prosecution. The prosecution had previously argued that the murder was premeditated, while attributing a role to the other accused in the conspiracy, which the court did not accept.
Published – 19 Jan 2026 13:16 IST
