Eight convicts in T P Chandrasekharan murder case have approached the Supreme Court, seeking remission of the sentence imposed on them. They have also sought a stay on the Kerala High Court order, which ruled that the accused should not be granted any form of relaxation before serving 20 years in prison.
The first six convicts — MC Anoop, Kirmani Manoj, Kodi Suni, TK Rajeesh, KK Muhammed Shafi, and K Shinoj — were sentenced to double life imprisonment by the High Court. In their appeal, they pleaded with the court to reduce their sentences and grant them bail as they have served 12 years in prison.
The other two convicts, K K Krishnan and Jyoti Babu, received life sentences from the Kerala High Court after being acquitted by the trial court. They have also approached the top court seeking remission.
The Kerala High Court in February gave life sentences to all 12 accused in the T P Chandrasekharan murder case. Of these, nine convicts including Rajeesh, Muhammed Shafi and Annan Sijith were awarded life sentences without remission for 20 years.
The Kerala government’s move to grant special remission to the convicts of T P Chandrasekharan murder case has drawn strong criticism from the opposition.
Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said that the LDF government’s move to release the convicts in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case is a challenge to the people of Kerala.
T P Chandrasekharan, a former leader of the CPI-M, was brutally murdered by the gang near Onchiyam on the night of May 4, 2012, as he was riding home on his motorcycle. His body bore 51 hack wounds, and his face was entirely disfigured by the attackers.