The defence counsel in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case argued in the trial court on Friday that the remand report of the 14 accused, P. Mohanan, member of the Kozhikode district secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M], did not mention the conspiracy hatched at a flower shop to kill the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader.
This was argued by B. Raman Pillai, defence counsel while cross-examining K.V. Santhosh, chief investigating officer, before R. Narayana Pishradi, special judge, Special Additional Sessions Court (Marad Cases) here at Eranhipalam. The case related to a gang allegedly hired by the CPI (M) hacking to death Chandrasekharan at Vallikkad at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012.
The defence counsel argued that the police arrested Mohanan on June 29, 2012. Investigators submitted three reports when he was produced before the Vadakara court and while getting him in police custody. All these reports had not mentioned Mohanan’s role of plotting the murder.
The prosecution case was that Mohanan and a few others had gathered at the flower shop of M.K. Padayankandi Raveendran, member of the Orkatteri local committee on April 2, 2012, to hatch a conspiracy to kill Chandrasekharan. C.H. Ashokan, former secretary of the Onchiyam area committee of the CPI (M); and K.K. Krishnan, member of the same committee; and K.C. Ramchandran, member of the Kunnummakkara local committee, were allegedly with him.
The defence counsel argued that the police had cooked up the conspiracy theory. On that day the tower location of the mobile phones indicated that the accused were on the flower shop premises at 3.45 p.m. There was no other evidence against Mohanan, he said.
However, Mr. Santhosh, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.SP), Crime Branch, told the court that an affidavit pertaining to the conspiracy had been submitted with the remand report of Mohanan. Besides, the 126th prosecution witness Suresh Babu had also given a statement that Mohanan had taken part in the conspiracy, he said.
But the defence counsel said that the witness was an RMP activist. No other witness had given evidence regarding the alleged role of Mohanan.
