KOCHI: High Court has said that the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had failed to comply with the provisions of the Prevention of Violence Against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act in the bail pleas of the accused in the murder of Deepu, a Twenty20 activist in Kizhekkambalam.This was stated by Justice Mary Joseph in the order to transfer the bail pleas of the accused to the Thrissur Principal Sessions Court.

The verdict was declared in a petition filed by Deepu's father Kunjaru, seeking a change of court, alleging that the father of the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge was CPM Thrissur district secretary and that there would be no fair proceedings in the bail plea as the accused were CPM activists. After examining evidence, the single bench assessed that the judicial officer was close to the political party.

The accused, CPM Kavungaparambu branch secretary Paratt Beeyattu Abdul Rahman, and CPM activists from Chelakulam Zainuddin, Basheer and Aziz, had filed their bail applications in the Principal Sessions Court.

High court has stated several mistakes made by the sessions court. Court has a duty to protect the Judicial Officer from allegations of bias. In view of this, it is proposed to hand over the petitions to the Thrissur Principal Sessions Court.