Kerala: HC acquits Congress MP K Sudhakaran in EP Jayarajan murder attempt case

In a major relief for Congress leader K. Sudhakaran, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday acquitted him of conspiracy charges in the 1995 E.P. Jayarajan murder attempt case, and quashed the Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court order seeking to initiate trial proceedings against him.

Kochi: In a significant relief for Congress leader K. Sudhakaran, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday acquitted him of conspiracy charges in the 1995 EP Jayarajan murder attempt case. The court also quashed the Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court order that had sought to initiate trial proceedings against him. The order was issued by Justice Ziyad Rahman.

The High Court also approved Sudhakaran's request to remove his name from the chargesheet.

Sudhakaran was accused of conspiring to murder E.P. Jayarajan. The incident took place on April 12, 1995, when an alleged attempt on Jayarajan's life was made as he was returning to Kerala after attending CPM party congress in Chhattisgarh. E.P. Jayarajan was shot in the neck by the prime accused, Vikramchalil Sasi, while washing his face at the basin in a railway coach in the morning.

The other accused in the case include Petta Dinesan, T.P. Rajeevan, and Biju. The chargesheet claimed that the accused, including Sudhakaran, stayed in Thiruvananthapuram to plan the murder of E.P. Jayarajan. Following these discussions, Sasi and Dinesan were assigned the task of attacking Jayarajan.