A Kerala court has sentenced a school teacher to life imprisonment for the shocking murder of young doctor Dr Vandana Das inside a hospital.

The prosecution has said it will appeal the decision and seek the death penalty, while the doctor’s family has also demanded the strictest punishment.

The incident took place in May 2023 at a taluk hospital in Kottarakkara.

The accused, G. Sandeep, attacked Dr Das with a pair of surgical scissors while she was on duty.

On Saturday, the Kollam Additional District and Sessions Court gave Sandeep a total of 30 years’ jail for different offences. After completing those 30 years, his life sentence for murder will begin. The detailed judgment is still awaited.

The Special Public Prosecutor said the court may not have considered this a “rarest of rare” case, which is why the death penalty was not awarded. He added that the prosecution will move an appeal to increase the punishment.

Dr Das’s father said the verdict brings some relief, but he is not sure if full justice has been done. He also hinted that the family may seek a stricter punishment. Her mother, holding back tears, said they only want the maximum punishment and will go in appeal.

She recalled that her daughter was stabbed 27 times and said the accused should feel the same pain.

Earlier, on March 17, the court had found Sandeep guilty of murder, destruction of evidence, and wrongful restraint. He was also convicted under the Kerala law meant to protect healthcare workers.

According to the case, Sandeep was taken to the hospital by police for treatment of a leg injury. During treatment, he suddenly picked up scissors and started attacking people in the room. He first attacked police officers and another person, and then turned towards Dr Das, who could not escape.

She was badly injured and later died at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

Dr Vandana Das was from Kottayam and was the only child of her parents. She was working as a house surgeon and was posted at the Kottarakkara hospital as part of her training when the attack happened