A court in Kozhikode, Kerala on Tuesday sentenced 11 people including three CPI(M) leaders to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of TP Chandrasekharan (51), a rebel Marxist leader of Onchiyam in Kozhikode district. Pronouncing the sentence, the court said that political vengeance (of the Marxist party) was the reason behind the “savage” murder.
Those who were sentenced to life imprisonment included all the members of the seven-man Marxist killer gang who had hacked Chandrasekharan to death and one person who had extended assistance to the gang. The Prosecution had prayed for death sentence to the accused but the court rejected this saying the case did not come under the rarest-of-the-rare category.
KK Rama, widow of Chandrasekharan, said the verdict brought some relief though she would have preferred death penalty to the convicts. Public Prosecutor K Kumarankutty said the Prosecution was not satisfied with the verdict and would appeal to the higher court. The CPI(M) said it would continue to extend legal help to its leaders who were punished in the case.
Judge R Narayana Pisharody of the Special Additional Sessions Court at Eranhipalam, Kozhikode had on January 22 found 12 of the total 36 accused in the case as guilty of the crimes the Prosecution had accused them of while acquitting 24 for want of evidence. The acquitted included some prominent CPI(M) leaders.
The CPI(M) leaders who were awarded life term in prison were eighth accused KC Ramachandran (54), a local committee member, 11th accused 'Trouser' Manoj (49), a branch committee secretary, and 13th accused PK Kunhananthan (62), an area committee member from Panur, Kannur. The 3 Marxist leaders were punished for conspiracy that led to the murder.
Vazhappadachi Rafeeq (38), who had helped the killers, also was awarded life imprisonment for helping the killers. 'lambu' Pradeepan, 31st accused, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for destroying evidence by hiding the weapons the gang had used to murder Chandrasekharan. All four of them were also slapped with a fine of Rs 100,000 each.
The members of the killer gang who were sentenced to life imprisonment were MC Anoop (32), Manoj Kumar alias Kirmani Manoj (32), NK Sunil Kumar alias Kodi Suni (31), TK Rajeesh (35), KK Muhammad Shafi (29), S Sajith alias Annan Sajith (25) and K Shinoj, first to seventh accused respectively, all of whom were from outside Kozhikode district.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the seven killers. A sum or Rs 5 lakh from the amount of fine should be given to the victim's family, the court said.