Periya double murder case: Double life term for 10 convicts, five-year jail term and fine for CPM leaders

KOCHI: The Kochi CBI Special Court has pronounced the quantum of sentences to the accused, including CPM leaders, in the Periya double murder case in Kasargod. The first eight accused and accused 10 and 15 were awarded double life terms and also imposed a fine. Accused 14, 20, 21 and 22, including former MLA K V Kunhiraman, were given five years imprisonment. The first eight accused are directly involved in the murder. The sentence was pronounced by CBI Special Court Judge Seshadrinathan.

First eight accused A Peethambaran (former Periya local committee member), Saji C George, K M Suresh, K Anilkumar (Abu), Jijin, R Srirag (Kuttu), A Ashwin (Appu), Subeesh (Mani), the tenth accused T Ranjith (Appu), and the 15th accused A Surendran (Vishnu Sura) have been awarded double life imprisonment. The 14th accused K Manikandan, the 20th accused, K V Kunhiraman, the 21st accused Raghavan Velutholi and the 22nd accused, K V Bhaskaran, were sentenced to five years in prison.

Kripesh's family said they are not satisfied with the verdict. 'Even if they are released after serving life sentences, the accused will continue doing such crimes. We are the ones who lost, and the pain of it will never go away. I hope that no other family will have to face our situation. At least death penalty should have been awarded to the first eight accused,' said Kripesh's sister.

Youth Congress activists Sarath Lal (23) and Kripesh (19) were murdered in 2019. Judge N Seshadrinathan had convicted 14 including former Uduma MLA K V Kunhiraman on December 28. Ten were acquitted. Ten of the accused who had to face punishment were found guilty of murder and conspiracy.

A Peethambaran, a local CPM leader was the main mastermind of the double murder. Eight including the first accused Peethambaran, were directly involved in the attack. Kripesh and Sarath Lal were hacked to death due to political differences and previous enmity. Initially investigated by the police and the crime branch, the case faced allegations of attempts at higher levels to shield CPM leaders and conclude the probe prematurely.

Dissatisfied with the investigation, the victims' families approached the High Court, leading to the state's vehement opposition to a CBI inquiry. Despite the state government's appeals to the Supreme Court, the CBI assumed responsibility for the investigation on December 10, 2020. The CBI's involvement ultimately implicated leaders like Kunhiraman. Another controversy erupted when Adv. CK Sreedharan, who initially supported the victims' families, switched allegiance to CPM and represented the accused, adding a twist to the case.