Attappallam mob lynching: HC cancels bail of eight accused

KOCHI: The High Court has cancelled the bail granted to eight accused in the mob lynching case at Attappallam in Palakkad. Justice A Badharudeen ordered that the accused must surrender before the court within three days. If they fail to do so, they will be arrested and produced before the court.

The accused in the case are Anu, Anandan, Rajesh, Shaji, Jagadeesh Kumar, Prasad, Murali and Vipin, all natives of Attappallam. They have been charged with beating Jharkhand native Ram Narayan Baghel to death after accusing him of being a Bangladeshi.

The order came on an appeal filed by the government against the bail granted by a special court in Palakkad that handles cases related to atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Ram Narayan’s brother, Shashikant Baghel, had also joined the case in the High Court, alleging that the special court granted bail without hearing their side.

The High Court stated that the accused can file fresh bail applications after surrendering. It also directed that the trial court must address the issues pointed out before taking a decision. Public Prosecutor Vipin Narayanan appeared for the government. Ram Narayan was lynched by a mob on December 18.