KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal against the CBI's decision to invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the Kathirur Manoj murder case in which senior CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan is also an accused.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly, was considering an appeal by Jayarajan and 24 other accused against a single judge order of 2018 in favour of CBI.
The accused had contended that the CBI cannot invoke UAPA without the sanction of the state government, which was rejected by the High Court.
Jayarajan, who is also charged under various sections of the IPC including 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), is the 25th accused in the case.
The CBI had in 2017 named Jayarajan as "conspirator" in the murder of an RSS functionary in Kannur district in September 2014 and charged him under the stringent UAPA Act for the killing.
Describing as "terrorist act" the "brutal" killing of the functionary, Elanthottathil Manoj, also known as Kathirur Manoj, the CBI had charged Jayarajan under various sections including Sections 18 and 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
Jayarajan had surrendered in court on February 12, 2016 after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the High Court.
He was later released on bail on March 22.
The 42-year-old Manoj, a district functionary of RSS, was hacked to death in Kathiroor in Kannur district on September 1, 2014, allegedly by a group of CPI(M) workers.