A division bench at the Kerala High Court on Tuesday increased the sentence for individuals found guilty in the infamous T.P. Chandrashekharan murder case.
Chandrasekharan, founder of the Revolutionary Marxist Party, a faction that split from the Communist Party of India, fell victim to political animosity. Allegedly supported by the CPI(M), assailants attacked Chandrashekharan on May 4, 2012.
Recently, the High Court affirmed the verdict of the trial court, finding 11 defendants guilty under Section 302 (murder) and Section 120B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It also upheld the conviction of the 31st accused under Section 201 IPC for tampering with evidence and providing false information. Additionally, the Court overturned the acquittal of the 10th and 12th defendants, convicting them under Sections 120B and 302 IPC. P.K. Kunhanandan, a CPI(M) leader and member of the Panur area committee of the party, who was the 13th accused in the case, passed away in June 2020 while serving a jail sentence for his involvement as a co-conspirator in the murder.
Today, the Division Bench, comprising Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Kauser Edappagath, delivered the verdict on the appeals for increased sentencing brought forth by Chandrashekaran's widow and Vadakara MLA K.K. Rema. The prosecution sought capital punishment for the offenders. However, the court did not impose the death penalty on any of the convicts. Instead, it decreed a doubled term of rigorous imprisonment for convicts 1 to 5 and 7, along with a directive that they not be eligible for any kind of remission until completing 20 years in prison. Additionally, the court raised the fines imposed on the convicts.
Furthermore, life imprisonment was pronounced for K.K. Krishnan and Jyoti Babu, the 10th and 12th accused respectively, both local CPI(M) leaders, who had been acquitted by the sessions court. The High Court also observed that Chandrasekharan’s murder had been an attack against the right to differ and dissent.
Post verdict, K. K. Rema said though she welcomes the verdict, the “larger conspiracy” in the case is yet to come out. Rema is planning to appeal next in the apex court.