INTUC leader's murder: CBI court convicts 14, including one CPI(M) leader

Thiruvananthapuram: A CBI court here has convicted 14 persons, including a district level member of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, in connection with the murder of an INTUC leader inside his house in Anchal in Kollam district in 2010.

CBI Special Court judge Rajeev K S on July 25 found Gireesh, Afsal, Najumal, Shibu, Vimal, Sudheesh, Shan, Ratheesh, Biju, Renjith, Sali and Muneer guilty of the offences of criminal conspiracy and murder under the Indian Penal Code.

It cancelled their bail bonds and sent them to jail to be produced before the court on July 30 for hearing on the quantum of sentence to be given to them.

The court also convicted Suman P S and CPI(M)'s Kollam district committee member Babu Panicker for the offence of harbouring an offender under section 212 of the IPC, but released them on bail.

The two were ordered to be present before the court on July 30 for hearing the quantum of sentence.

Besides the 14 convicted in the case, four others -- Riyas, Markson Yesudas, Jayamohan and Roykutty -- were acquitted.

According to the prosecution, INTUC leader Ramabhadran was killed in front of his family inside his home in 2010.

The assailants had barged into the house of the victim on the night of April 10, 2010 and hacked him to death in front of his wife and two children, the prosecution had told the court.

The case was later transferred to the CBI after the victim's family moved the Kerala High Court seeking handing over of the investigation to the Central agency.