7 RSS-BJP activists sentenced to life for CPI(M) leader’s murder
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Kannur: A court in Thalassery on Thursday sentenced seven RSS-BJP activists to life imprisonment for the 2008 murder of a CPI(M) local leader.
Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Vimal J found Sumith alias Kuttan, K K Prajesh Babu, B Nidhin, K Sanal, Smijosh, Sajeesh, and V Jayesh guilty. The court acquitted Santhosh Kumar, B Sarath, E K Saneesh, and Kunnumprath Ajesh, while the eighth accused, K Ajith, died during the course of the trial.
After hearing the accused, their counsel, and the prosecution, the court awarded life imprisonment to the seven convicts in the afternoon.
The case pertains to the murder of CPI(M) local leader Latheesh, who was hacked to death on December 31, 2008, at Thalayi near Thalassery. A friend of the deceased was also injured in the attack, which was part of a political rivalry in the region.
The accused were charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, conspiracy, murder, and attempt to murder, as well as Sections 3 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.
The trial, which began on January 7, 2020, examined 30 prosecution witnesses, 90 documents, and 27 material objects before concluding with the verdict.
With PTI inputs