KOCHI: The High Court has acquitted the prime accused in the Chekannur Maulavi case on Monday. The CBI court had awarded double life term to first accused PV Hamza.

Maulavi was last seen on 29 July 1993 when, according to his wife Howah Umma, he left his home to deliver a speech with two unidentified people in a vehicle that did not have a number plate. Following a complaint by his wife and uncle Salim Haji, an investigation was launched that also drew considerable public attention, leading to a reward of Rs 300,000 being offered by police for information related to the case.

The CBI took over the case in 1996, and in 2000 arrested two members of the ultra-orthodox Muslim sect, which is linked to Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, under suspicion of murder. By 2005, ten people were accused of the murder.

The case was hampered by the disappearance of a number of witnesses, whose property was seized when they fled abroad rather than appear to testify in 2008.

Maulavi's wife filed a petition seeking to arraign Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musaliyar as a murder suspect through her lawyer, Advocate S.K. Premraj which was allowed. The Kerala High Court set aside the order, which was challenged in the Supreme Court. Though elaborate arguments were advanced by Advocate S.K. Premraj before the Supreme Court, Kanthapuram who was defended by the legal stalwart Harish Salve ultimately won the legal battle.

On 30 September 2010, the CBI special court in Kochi sentenced V. V. Hamsa, the first accused in the murder of Chekannur Maulavi, to double life imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 100,000.[citation needed] Stating that the Maulavi case was a rare case, the prosecution had demanded the death sentence. Pronouncing the verdict, Special Court judge S. Vijaykumar said, of the fine amount, that Rs. 50,000 should be given to Maulavi's wife. The other eight accused were acquitted.[citation needed]

The court found that Maulavi's body was disposed of in some mysterious manner so as never to be recovered.

However, the HC on Monday observed that there was no evidence to prove that Moulavi was dead and that it was merely an assumption that the scholar had been murdered. With this, all accused in the case have been acquitted.