Thalassery Court Clears Nine RSS-BJP Members in 2009 CPM Activist Murder Case

In a significant legal decision, the Thalassery Additional Sessions Court has acquitted nine individuals affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in connection with the 2009 murder case of CPM activist Chanbatt Chandran from Panoor. Additional Sessions Judge J. Vimal emphasized that the prosecution’s case appeared to have been fabricated.

The tragic incident unfolded when Chandran, a dedicated CPM worker in the Panoor region, was brutally attacked by a gang at his residence around 7:15 pm on March 12, 2009. He tragically succumbed to his injuries the following day, despite medical efforts.

Before Chandran’s murder, another incident involving an RSS activist, Vinayan, who was allegedly killed by CPM members, had occurred. Law enforcement authorities determined that Chandran’s death was a result of political violence.

The accused in this case, all associated with RSS and BJP, included Santhosh (43) of Odakkath, Ajayan alias Kuttan (50) of Mundan Veettil, NP Sreejesh (43), VC Santhosh (43), KP Bijesh (40), KK Sajeevan (45), Mottammal Shaji (52), Puthanpurayil Dileep Kumar (53), and PP Manmadan (48). It is worth noting that the fourth accused, VC Santhosh, passed away during the course of the trial.

The defense counsel argued that the case had been artificially constructed, emphasizing the delay in filing the First Information Report (FIR). They pointed out that both Chandran and Vinayan were transported to hospitals by the police, but while an FIR was promptly registered regarding the latter’s death, there was an unjustifiable delay in registering a case for Chandran’s demise.

The case was originally investigated by former Inspectors of Panoor, VP Surendran and PK Santhosh, who subsequently submitted the charge-sheet. In the courtroom, the accused were represented by Advocates P. Premajan, PS Eshwaran, Joseph Thomas, and T. Sunil Kumar. This verdict raises pertinent questions regarding the handling of political violence cases and the integrity of the legal process.