Kerala High Court suspends sentence of ex-MLA Kunhiraman, three other convicts in Periya twin murder case

A Kerala court stayed the sentences of four convicts, including former MLA K.V. Kunhiraman, in the Kasaragod Periya double murder case, where they were sentenced to five years in prison.

Deepu Mohan

First Published Jan 8, 2025, 12:53 PM IST | Last Updated Jan 8, 2025, 12:53 PM IST

Kochi: The court has stayed the sentences of four convicts in the Kasaragod Periya twin murder case, including former MLA K.V. Kunhiraman. These four individuals had been sentenced to five years in prison, and their appeals were accepted. The stay order applies to the sentences of K.V. Kunhiraman, K. Manikandan, Raghavan Velutholli, and K.V. Bhaskaran. Currently, the convicts are housed in the Ernakulam District Jail.

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The case involves eight primary accused, including E. Peethamberan (former local committee member of Periya), Saji C. George, K.M. Suresh, K. Anilkumar, Gijin, R. Sreerag, A. Ashwin, Subish, along with the 10th accused T. Ranjith, and the 15th accused E. Surendran. The court sentenced these convicts to double life imprisonment, while K.V. Kunhiraman and three other CPI(M) leaders were sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of Rs 1,000 each.

Charges such as murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, and unlawful detention were proven against the convicts. Peethamberan, the first accused, along with nine others, faced charges of conspiracy and other crimes related to the murder. The detailed charges and sentences for each accused are as follows:

accused and their charges:

1. E. Peethamberan (1st accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

2. Saji C. George (2nd accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

3. K.M. Suresh (3rd accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

4. K. Anilkumar (4th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

5. Gijin (5th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

6. R. Sreerag (6th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

7. A. Ashwin (7th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

8. Subish (8th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention
Sentence: Life imprisonment

9. T. Ranjith (10th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention, evidence destruction, protecting the accused
Sentence: Life imprisonment

10. E. Surendran (15th accused)
Charges: Murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting violence, unlawful detention, evidence destruction, protecting the accused
Sentence: Life imprisonment

Other accused and their charges:

- K. Manikandan (14th accused)
Charges: Assisting in taking the accused out of police custody
Sentence: 5 years imprisonment and a fine

- K.V. Kunhiraman, Former MLA (20th accused)
Charges: Assisting in taking the accused out of police custody
Sentence: 5 years imprisonment and a fine

- Raghavan Velutholli (21st accused)
Charges: Assisting in taking the accused out of police custody
Sentence: 5 years imprisonment and a fine

- K.V. Bhaskaran (22nd accused)
Charges: Assisting in taking the accused out of police custody
Sentence: 5 years imprisonment and a fine

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