KOCHI: The Kochi CBI special court found 14 accused guilty in the gruesome Kasaragod Periya twin murder case, including CPM leaders Uduma former MLA KV Kunhiraman and Kanhangad block panchayat president K. Manikandan. Judge N. Seshadrinathan will pronounce the final verdict on January 3.

In February 2019, Youth Congress workers Sarath Lal (23) and Kripesh (19), were stopped by assailants from their bikes and hacked to death. The CBI established that the purpose of the crime was to stymie the surging congress influence in the area.

A. Peethambaran, Saji C. George, K.M. Suresh, K. Anilkumar (Abu), Jijin, R. Sreerag (Kuttu), A. Ashwin (Appu), and Subish (Mani) are the accused. T. Ranjith, the 10th accused, and A. Surendran (Vishnu Sura), the 15th accused, are involved in a conspiracy amounting to murder.

The 14th accused K. Manikandan, the 20th accused former MLA KV Kunhiraman, the 21st accused Raghavan Velutholi and the 22nd accused Bhaskaran Velutholi are accused of forcibly releasing the second accused from custody. This offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years and a fine. Public Prosecutor Bobby Joseph appeared in the case.

Former MLA K Kunhiraman is a member of CPM Kasaragod District Secretariat. K. Manikandan is the leader of DYFI. The first accused Peethambaran is a former member of the CPM Periya Local Committee. Raghavan Velutholi is a former Pakkam local secretary.

The High Court handed over the investigation to the CBI, only after criticizing the crime branch investigation as unreliable and politically biased. A team headed by Deputy Superintendent T.P. Ananthakrishnan of the CBI Thiruvananthapuram unit investigated the case.

“The CPM leaders were deliberately roped into the case. The party has nothing to do with it. An appeal will be filed in the Supreme Court” - M.V. Balakrishnan, CPM Kasaragod district secretary.

“Not satisfied with the verdict. Legal action will be taken to punish the wrongdoers." PV Krishnan, (father of Kripesh)