KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has observed that the murder of two Youth Congress leaders at Periya in Kasaragod is not only “grave and serious” but it calls for the maximum punishment provided under law.
“First accused Peethambaran and six other accused are alleged to have directly participated in committing the murder of two young persons. Suffice it to state that there are sufficient materials collected against them during the investigation conducted by the Crime Branch to prove their involvement in the crime,” the court observed while dismissing the bail pleas of ten accused persons in the case on Wednesday.
Justice R Narayana Pisharadi observed, “Political rivalry and personal enmity appear to be the motive of the crime. The petitioners are persons who are actively associated with the ruling party in the state. The first accused is a person who has been a branch secretary and area committee member of CPM. There can be no doubt with regard to the fact that the petitioners are persons who wield political influence.”
The court added that the apprehension of the prosecution that if the petitioners are released on bail, they, being influential and powerful persons who belong to a prominent political party in the state, will try to influence or intimidate the witnesses cannot be ignored. As per the case, two young persons, who were activists of ‘Youth Congress, were murdered by their political opponents. The murder of Youth Congress workers Kripesh, 21, and Sarath Lal, 24, took place at Kalliyot, near Periya on February 17, 2019.
Senior Public Prosecutor Suman Chakravarthy contended that the crime committed by the accused persons was so heinous and gruesome and that fact by itself was sufficient to reject the bail applications. He said the accused one to seven are persons who had directly participated in the murder of two young persons merely on account of political rivalry.
The single bench, while entrusting the probe of the case with the CBI, had not found that accused one to seven and nine to 11 are not the real culprits involved in the crime but the investigation was entrusted with the CBI only in view of certain lapses, which according to the single bench, have occurred in the Crime Branch probe.