The Bombay high court on Wednesday admitted an appeal filed by the Maharashtra government seeking enhancement of punishment awarded to Kannada actress Maria Susairaj and her naval officer fiance Emile Jerome for the murder of television executive Neeraj Grover.
A division bench of justices V M Kanade and A M Thipsay admitted the appeal. A trial court on July 1 acquitted Susairaj and Jerome of the charge of murdering Grover.
While Jerome was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Susairaj was held guilty only for destruction of evidence and sentenced to three years in jail. Since she had spent more time in jail as an undertrial, she was freed a day after the sentencing.
The lower court had held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case and could not establish the motive behind the murder. The state government, however, in its appeal before the high court claimed that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to kill Grover.
The appeal claimed that Susairaj felt "cheated" by Grover, who she thought was bluffing her under the pretext of getting her a role in a serial. Attributing motive behind the murder, the state contended that Susairaj nursed a grudge against the victim.
The appeal further claimed that Jerome came to Mumbai on May 6, 2008, as planned by him and Susairaj to kill Grover.
Both the accused have also approached the high court challenging their conviction. Their appeal was earlier admitted by the court.
According to police, Grover was stabbed to death by Jerome after the victim got into a feud with the naval officer on May 7, 2008. The alleged murder took place at the suburban residence of Susairaj. The two accused had allegedly cut the body into several pieces before disposing it off at Manor jungles on the outskirts of the city.
