KANNUR: CPM district secretary P Jayarajan on Monday filed an anticipatory bail plea before the Thalassery Sessions Court to avoid arrest in connection with the Manoj murder case, which is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). District Sessions Judge V J Anilkumar will consider the anticipatory bail application on Tuesday.
Jayarajan filed the bail plea through Advocate K Viswan. “The decision on whether to appear before the CBI on January 12 will be decided only after getting the court order in the anticipatory bail plea,” Viswan said.
Meanwhile, Jayarajan had earlier said that there was a politically-motivated move to arrest him so that the BJP can implement their political agenda. The CBI team led by DySP Hari Om Prakash had served a notice to Jayarajan on January 10, demanding him to appear before their camp office at Thalassery on January 12.
This is the third notice served by the investigating agency to the CPM leader.
On January 6, the CBI had served a notice asking Jayarajan to appear before the investigating officers. However, Jayarajan sought a week’s time citing health issues. The CBI accepted the request and served a notice to him on January 10.
In 2015, the CBI served the first notice demanding Jayarajan to appear before them. But, the leader was admitted to Pariyaram Medical College Hospital owing to heart ailment.
Later, Jayarajan filed an anticipatory bail plea before the District Sessions Court, but the Court rejected the petition citing that the case is registered under UAPA Act and that his name is not added in the accused list by the CBI.
The CBI questioned him in Thiruvananthapuram on June 2, after which he moved an anticipatory bail application in the District Sessions Court here, stating that
there was a politically motivated move to arrest him. However, the court rejected the plea stating that there was no need of anticipatory bail as he had not been named as accused in the case.
Former RSS district secretary Manoj was killed on September 1, 2014, and the CBI has arrested 23 CPM activists in this connection.