Today, On 25th June, The Kerala High Court granted bail to 17 PFI members accused in the 2022 murder of an RSS leader. This decision marks a significant development in the high-profile case. The accused had been held in custody pending trial.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted bail to 17 Popular Front of India (PFI) members accused in the 2022 murder of RSS leader Srinivasan in Palakkad district. These individuals also on trial for allegedly inciting communal violence within the state and across the country.
The bench, comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Syam Kumar V M, upheld a special NIA court‘s decision to deny bail to nine other PFI members implicated in the same cases.
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The High Court‘s comprehensive 111-page order addressed the appeals of the 26 accused, challenging the special court’s decision to deny them bail.
The High Court stipulated that the accused must remain within the state of Kerala, surrender their passports, and keep their mobile phones charged and operational at all times.
The court instructed the 17 accused to “appear before the special court, which will grant them bail under conditions it deems necessary.”
Initially, 51 individuals implicated in the murder of Srinivasan on April 16, 2022. One of the arrested individuals passed away, and seven remain at large, evading arrest.
Chargesheets against the remaining accused filed in two stages, in July and December 2022.
While investigating the murder, the Centre received intelligence that Popular Front of India (PFI) office bearers and cadres in Kerala were conspiring to incite communal violence and radicalize members to carry out terrorist activities in Kerala and other regions, as noted by the High Court in its order.
As a result, in September 2022, the Centre instructed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation against the accused.
Subsequently, on December 19, 2022, the Centre, referencing Srinivasan’s death, expressed that a larger conspiracy by PFI leaders, with significant national and international implications, needed thorough investigation to uncover the broader plot and identify additional suspects, as noted by the High Court.
Consequently, the Centre directed the NIA to also investigate the murder case. The agency filed its consolidated chargesheet in 2023, followed by two supplementary chargesheets.
Immediately after the NIA filed the respective chargesheets with the special court, the accused submitted bail applications.