KOCHI: Parents of two Youth Congress leaders — Kripesh and Sarathlal — who were purportedly killed by CPM leaders at Periya in Kasaragod in 2019, have lodged a petition with the Kerala High Court, challenging the decision of the administrative side of the High Court to transfer the CBI special judge handling the case.
In 2019, the parents filed a petition seeking a CBI investigation in the case, which a single judge endorsed. The state government challenged the decision before the division bench and the Supreme Court, only for the ruling to favour the parents. Special CBI Court Judge K Kamanees, who was conducting the trial, was recently transferred as part of the general transfer.
In the petition, the parents pointed out that since the probe was lackadaisical, the case was entrusted to the crime branch by the state government which was later taken over by the CBI on HC directives. The trial has begun in the case. So far, statements of 154 witnesses from 333 prosecution witnesses have been recorded. The case is now posted for recording the statements of the accused.
The petitioner argued that the transfer of the trial court judge would cause an inordinate delay in the case and it will be a denial of justice.