THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI’s Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, P Sandosh Kumar, has publicly criticised the alleged decision by the LDF government to file additional cases against Maoist prisoner Roopesh. Sandosh, who also serves as a CPI national executive member, has joined a petition condemning the actions of the home department.
The petition highlights concerns about the reported attempt to file new cases against Roopesh, who is currently lodged at Viyyur Central Prison and is nearing the end of his sentence.
“This is a matter of grave concern. The state government should refrain from pursuing this course of action, as it could undermine public trust in the judiciary and tarnish democratic values,” the petition states.
Additionally, the statement alleges that the Kerala Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Kozhikode Crime Branch are behind the effort to bring new charges against Roopesh.
“It was reported that a case was filed at the Thottilpalam police station. Roopesh, who was arrested in 2015, was granted bail in approximately 43 cases filed against him and was subjected to extensive questioning for a hundred days. He was fully acquitted in one case and partially acquitted in five others. Given these circumstances, the police’s current attempt to take him into custody based on documents confiscated in 2015 is questionable,” the petition states.
It also points out that the police have not initiated any investigation or made any mention of this case.
“Roopesh has been convicted in an NIA case, for which he has already filed an appeal. His sentence in that case will conclude in a few months. Notably, the Kerala police did not refer to this case during his hearings in the NIA court. Furthermore, there are no cases against him in Kozhikode either,” the petition says.
It argues that the government’s aggressive stance against a political prisoner whose sentence is nearing its end is unjust.
Apart from Sandosh Kumar, the petition has garnered support from several other prominent figures, including Justice P K Shamsuddin, Satchidanandan, K G Sankara Pillai, Sebastian Paul, MLA KK Rema, Kalpetta Narayanan, K T Rammohan, M N Karassery, N Rajeevan, Meena Kanthaswamy, P N Gopi Krishnan, T T Sreekumar, N Subramanian, Haritha Gopi, and 44 others.