Kerala HC suspends Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal's sentence; conviction to remain
A sessions court in Kavaratti had found Lakshadweep MP PP Mohammed Faizal and three others guilty on January 11 of attempting to murder Padanath Salih, the son-in-law of former Union Minister and Indian National Congress politician, PM Sayeed. The trial court effectively imposed a 10-year prison sentence on each of the four accused.
FollowKochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (Oct 3) refused to overturn the conviction of Lakshadweep MP PP Mohammed Faizal in a case involving an attempted murder. However, the court decided to suspend his punishment in this instance. Faizal's conviction and sentence had previously been suspended by the High Court, but in August of this year, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and instructed the High Court to reconsider and decide Faizal's plea again within a six-week period.
Following a second hearing on the subject, Justice N Nagaresh issued an order today suspending the sentence against four people, including Faizal, who had been found guilty by the trial court.
However, the Court rejected Faizal's plea to have his conviction suspended. He would thereafter be ineligible to serve as a member of parliament.
In connection with a political issue during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, a sessions court in Kavaratti had found Faizal and three others guilty on January 11 of attempting to murder Padanath Salih, the son-in-law of former Union Minister and Indian National Congress politician, PM Sayeed. The trial court effectively imposed a 10-year prison sentence on each of the four accused.
According to Faizal, a “false case” was registered against him on January 5, 2016, at Androth island police station. While the trial was ongoing, he was elected to Lok Sabha in 2019. On January 11, 2023, Faizal and three others were sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment, and penalised each Rs. one lakh on January 11, 2023, for attempting to murder Mohammed Salih.
