Kochi: The Kerala High Court has paused the five-year prison sentences for four members of the CPI(M) who were convicted in the case of two murdered Youth Congress workers in 2019. The Justices P.B. Suresh Kumar and Jobin Sebastian made this decision after the convicts—Kunhiraman, K. Manikandan, Raghavan Velutholi, and A.V. Bhaskaran—appealed against their punishment given by the Ernakulam Special CBI Court.
The crime happened on February 17, 2019, in Periya, when two Youth Congress activists, Kripesh, 19, and Sarath Lal P.K., 24, were killed allegedly by people connected to the CPI(M). The Special CBI Court had already sentenced ten others to double life terms for their roles in the murders. Kunhiraman and the three others were found guilty of helping an accused escape from police after the murders. The CBI reported that the accused planned to kill the two activists, which increased political tensions in the area.
On December 28, the CBI Court declared eight persons guilty of murder and conspiracy while six others were found guilty of helping in the crimes and tampering with evidence. Ten individuals were cleared of charges.
CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan praised the High Court’s decision, saying the charges against his party members were “politically motivated.” He added, “This verdict is a great relief for us. We will keep fighting against the other convictions by the CBI.”
Leave a Reply