Today, On 16th October, The Kerala High Court has stayed the discharge of BJP state chief K. Surendran in an election bribery case. The court admitted the state’s appeal and halted further proceedings in the case. The Kerala government had challenged a lower court’s decision to release Surendran, claiming the court exceeded its jurisdiction.
![[Election Bribery Case] Court had Gone Beyond Jurisdiction": Kerala Govt Appeals Acquittal of BJP Leader Surendran](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/image-17-1.png?resize=600%2C338&ssl=1)
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday put a stay to further proceedings related to the discharge of BJP state president K. Surendran and five others by a sessions court in the Manjeshwaram election bribery case.
Justice K. Babu admitted the criminal revision petition filed by the state government challenging the sessions court’s order from October 5.
The High Court stated,
“Admit. Further proceedings stayed. Post on November 8,”
Kasaragod Sessions Judge Sanu S. Panicker, On October 5, discharged Surendran and the others. The judge, allowing the discharge plea, noted,
“Since the first accused is discharged of the alleged offences, I do not find any grounds to proceed against the other accused also. Hence, they are also discharged of all the alleged offences.”
Surendran was cleared of charges under various sections of the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
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While BJP state chief K. Surendran asserted that his discharge from the case proved the truth had prevailed, dismissing the allegations as a fabricated attempt to derail his political career, the opposition Congress accused the CPI(M) and BJP of collusion, suggesting that Surendran’s acquittal was evidence of a mutual arrangement between the two parties to protect each other.
Surendran had been accused of intimidating a rival candidate into withdrawing from the 2021 Assembly election contest for the Manjeshwaram constituency. He faced charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which includes non-bailable offenses, as well as under Sections 171 (B) and 171 (E) of the Indian Penal Code, relating to bribery.
The case initiated following the directions of a Magistrate Court, which acted on a petition filed by CPI(M) candidate V. V. Ramesan, Surendran’s competitor in the election. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the Crime Branch.
Read Also: BREAKING | Supreme Court Rules Against Immunity of MPs and MLAs in Bribery Cases
BSP candidate K. Sundara accused the BJP of initially threatening him and later offering him a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh to withdraw from the election. Sundara claimed that Sunil Naik, a leader of the Yuva Morcha and a close associate of BJP state chief K. Surendran, gave him the money and a smartphone. The BJP, however, denied these allegations.
Sundara, a Yakshagana artist, previously contested the election in 2016 and filed his nomination again in 2021 but later withdrew from the race.
Despite Sundara’s withdrawal, Surendran lost the 2021 Manjeshwaram Assembly election. The seat was won by IUML’s A. K. M. Ashraf, who secured 65,758 votes, while Surendran received 65,013 votes. CPI(M) candidate V. V. Ramesan came in third with 40,639 votes.