The Kerala High Court on Monday confirmed the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to the convicts in the case relating to the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrasekharan at Onchiyam in 2012.

A Division Bench comprising Justice A Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Kauser Edappagath passed the verdict while upholding the Kozhikode Additional Sessions Court’s order awarding life imprisonment to accused M. C. Anoop, Manoj Kumar, alias Kirmani Manoj, . K Sunil Kumar, alias Kodi Suni, Rajeesh Thundikandi, KK Mohammed Shafi, Sijith, alias Annan Sijith, K. Shinoj, KC Ramachandran (then CPI-M Kunnummakkara local committee member), Manojan, alias Trouser Manojan (former CPI-M Kadungapoyil branch secretary), and the late P. K. Kunhanandan (former CPI-M Panoor area committee member).

The court also set aside the acquittal of the 10th and 12th accused and convicted them also under Sections 120B read with Section 302 IPC. The Court has directed the production of the accused before the Court for sentencing on February 26, 2024, at 10.15 am. The acquittal of other accused was also confirmed by the court. The court also rejected the appeals filed by the convicts

The Kozhikode Additional Sessions Court had in 2014 sentenced 11 accused to life imprisonment and awarded three years’ jail term to another accused, Lambu Pradeep. The convicted included CPI (M) local leaders K.C. Ramachandran and the late Kunhanandan. They were found guilty under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 143 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly

Ramachandran (eighth accused), Manojan (11th accused), and Kunhanandan (13th accused) were found guilty under IPC Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) and were awarded life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh each.

The prosecution sought to enhance the life sentence awarded to them. The appeals filed by the prosecution and KK. Rema, MLA, the wife of the slain RMP leader, sought to award maximum punishment to the convicts and pleaded for quashing the acquittal of other accused.

T P Chandrasekharan, who was a member of the   CPI-M, Marxist,formed a new political party called the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP). According to the prosecution case, to wreck vengeance for the loss of the CPI -M candidate at the Vatakara constituency in the Lok Sabha election, he was hacked to death on a public road on May 4, 2012.

According to the prosecution the assailants were hired by certain CPI-M functionaries to eliminate Chandrasekharan who posed a challenge to the party’s influence in the area.

While passing the judgment, the bench  quoted Amartya Sen to criticise political violence:

“Democracy thrives on the peaceful exchange of ideas, not the violent imposition of beliefs. Political violence is the poison that corrodes the roots of democratic principles.”

KK Rema MLA, wife of slain TP Chandrsekharan said  the fight for justice was far from over and would only end with the conviction of top CPI-M leaders who “authorised “Chandrasekharan’s murder to silence his strident criticism of the party leadership’s anti-working class line.  She said the RMP would  approach  the court against the High Court’s decision to uphold P . Mohanan’s acquittal

Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said the high court had reasserted the complicity of the CPI-M‘s top leadership in the heinous political murder that shocked Kerala’s conscience

CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan said the high court decision upholding P Mohanan’s acquittal validated the party’s stance that it had no role in the murder.