TP Chandrasekharan murder case: Kannur Jail Superintendent among 3 officials suspended

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Jun 27, 2024, 12:12 PM IST

The Kerala government has suspended police officials, including the Kannur Jail Superintendent, for their recommendation to commute the sentences of three convicts involved in the murder of TP Chandrasekharan.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government suspended police officials on Thursday (June 27), including the Kannur Jail Superintendent, for their recommendation to commute the sentences of three convicts linked to the murder of TP Chandrasekharan. Kannur Jail Superintendent S Sreejith, Assistant Superintendent BG Arun, and Prison Officer OV Raghunath were suspended following an order from the Chief Minister's Office.

Officials recommended the release of convicts Mohammed Shafi, Annan Sijith, and T.K. Rajeesh, who are the fourth, fifth, and sixth accused in the TP murder case, respectively.

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Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer on Tuesday declined permission to Vadakara MLA and TP Chandrasekharan's wife KK Rema to introduce an adjournment motion in the Assembly. Rema sought a temporary suspension of proceedings to discuss the alleged move by the LDF government to commute the sentences of three convicts. The Speaker rejected the motion, stating that the allegation lacked foundation and urgency.

On May 4, 2012, Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader Chandrasekharan was ambushed by attackers in a car while he was riding his motorcycle. They threw crude bombs at him, causing him to fall off the motorcycle, after which he was fatally assaulted.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's reply to Opposition leader VD Satheesan's submission:

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India's independence, the government decided to give commutation to prisoners in various jails. Based on this, the list of prisoners to be considered as per the criteria in the Government order dated 25.11.2022 regarding granting remission/early release was made available to the Government by the Jail Superintendent.

The Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department, on 03.06.2024 directed the Head of the Jail Department to submit the revised list strictly following the norms as it was found that the list includes ineligible persons.

Those accused who have been involved in cases where the High Court has ruled out special leniency are not eligible for leniency under the current guidelines. Specifically, in SC Case No. 867/2012, there is a High Court order stating that relief should not be granted to convicts before they have completed 20 years of imprisonment.

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