KOCHI: A division bench of Kerala high court has ruled that there is no need for a CBI inquiry into the murder of Kannur Edayannur Youth Congress member Shuhaib.

Earlier, a single bench of the high court had ordered a CBI inquiry into the case and it is this order that has now been cancelled by the Division bench.

The government had strongly contended in the court that a CBI inquiry is not necessary and this was accepted by the bench headed by the chief justice.

Meanwhile, Shuhaib’s father told media that his family would continue the fight for justice. “The government had spent crores of rupees from the public treasury to appoint a top lawyer to argue this case. And that is how they have won the case. They have done that to save CPM leaders involved in the case,” he said.

During the trial of the case, the State government’s counsel argued that there was no need for a CBI inquiry as the investigation of the State police had been efficient. Accepting the argument, the Division bench observed that the single bench’s decision was the one taken in haste and the order was not maintainable.

It was Single Bench Judge Kamal Pasha who had delivered the order for a CBI inquiry after hearing the petition filed by Shuhaib’s family.

Shuhaib was murdered in the night of February 12, 2018, while he along with his friends was having tea from a makeshift shop at Theroor.

17 persons including former local area secretary K P Prashanth were arrested in the case. The Congress had held state-wide strike against the killing. The CPM had gone into defensive following allegations of top CPM leaders’ role in the murder.

Later the party had expelled four persons including first accused M V Akash from the party. The three others were TK Askar, K Akhil and CS Deepchand.