Govt to appeal against acquittal of accused in Riyaz Maulavi murder case

KASARGOD: The government will appeal against the acquittal of the accused in the murder case of madrassa teacher Mohammed Riyaz Maulavi (27). The chief minister directed the Accountant General (AG) to file an appeal in the case before the summer vacation.

Maulavi, a native of Kodagu in Karnataka was killed on March 21 in 2017. He was hacked to death in his bedroom, adjoining the mosque, after miscreants barged into his room. S Ajesh, N Akhilesh and S Nithin hailing from Kelugude in the district were acquitted in the case due to lack of evidence.

All the accused are RSS activists. District Principal Sessions Court Judge K K Balakrishnan gave the verdict in one word, 'The three accused are acquitted'.

Three days before the murder, a dispute broke out during a shuttle tournament in Meepugiri between the two parties. Two accused sustained injuries in the clash that broke out. In the charge sheet submitted to the court by the investigating officers, it was stated that the murder was done with the intention of creating conflict.

In the case registered by the Kasaragod police, a team led by the then coastal circle inspector P K Sudhakaran arrested the accused. All three were in judicial custody for seven years.