The Kerala High Court suspended the sentence of four convicts involved in the Periya twin murder case. Last week, a CBI court sentenced 10 individuals to life imprisonment, while Kunhiraman, Manikandan, Velutholi, and Bhaskaran were given five years of imprisonment. The High Court’s decision to suspend their sentences allows them to remain free while the case is under further legal review.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court suspended the sentences of four individuals, including a former CPI(M) MLA, who had been sentenced to five years in prison for the murder of two Youth Congress workers in Periya, Kasaragod district, five years ago.
A bench consisting of Justices P B Suresh Kumar and Jobin Sebastian granted the appeal of former MLA and CPI(M) district leader K V Kunhiraman, along with Kanhangad block panchayat president K Manikandan, Raghavan Velutholi, and A V Bhaskaran, putting their five-year sentences on hold.
Last week, a CBI court sentenced ten individuals to life imprisonment for their roles in the case while imposing five-year sentences on Kunhiraman, Manikandan, Velutholi, and Bhaskaran.
Among those sentenced to life are CPI(M) Periya local committee member A Peethambaran and several others, including Saji C George, Suresh K M, Anil Kumar K alias Abu, Gijin, Shrirag R aka Kuttu, Aswin A alias Appu, Subeesh alias Mani, Ranjith T aka Appu, and A Sruendan alias Vishnu Sura.
The case involves the murders of Youth Congress workers Kripesh, 19, and Sarath Lal P K, 24, allegedly perpetrated by CPI(M) workers on February 17, 2019. According to the CBI, the investigation revealed that Peethambaran A and others conspired near a bus waiting shed in Echiladukkam, Periya, to kill Kripesh and Sarathlal due to political rivalry.
The CBI filed a charge sheet on December 3, 2021, against 24 individuals. By December 28, the court found eight guilty of murder and conspiracy, six guilty of conspiracy and destruction of evidence, while ten were acquitted.
The prosecution argued that the twin murders were the result of politically motivated attacks and counterattacks between CPI(M) and Congress supporters in the region.
In Indian law, murder and conspiracy are serious criminal offenses governed by the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Murder, defined under Section 302 of the IPC, involves the unlawful killing of a person with the intent or knowledge that the act will likely cause death.
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The punishment for murder can range from life imprisonment to the death penalty, depending on the severity of the case. On the other hand, conspiracy, as defined under Sections 120A and 120B of the IPC, refers to an agreement between two or more people to commit a criminal act.
The punishment for conspiracy depends on the nature of the offense being conspired, and if it involves serious crimes like murder, the penalty can be as severe as life imprisonment or death.
Both offenses can be charged together if there is evidence of both a planned conspiracy and the commission of the murder, leading to more severe legal consequences for the accused.
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