The Special Additional Sessions Court (Marad Cases) here trying the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, on Wednesday, posted to September 11 for verdict on the acquittal of any of the 56 accused now facing trial.
The acquittal of any of the accused was taken up on the basis of evidence adduced so far. This was being considered under Section 232 (if, after taking the evidence for the prosecution, examining the accused and hearing the prosecution and the defence on the point, the Judge considers that there is no evidence that the accused committed the offence, the Judge shall record an order of acquittal) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
R. Narayana Pisharadi, Judge, on Wednesday heard the arguments of the special prosecutors C.K. Sreedharan and P. Kumarankutty and the defence counsel K. Gopalakrishna Kurup.
The case pertained to a seven-member gang allegedly hired by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] hacking to death Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T.P. Chandrasekharan at Vallikkad on May 4, 2012.
The defence counsel argued that there was either no evidence or feeble evidence against 24 accused in the case. They had been made accused based on the police investigations and mahassars prepared by the investigators. Even those prosecution witnesses who had given statement under Section 164 (recording of confessions and statements) of the CrPC had turned hostile in the case.
Mr. Kurup also argued that the there was no material evidence against Karayi Rajan (26 accused), member, Kannur district secretariat, CPI (M); and Sarin Sasi, Kannur district president, Students Federation of India. The special prosecutors argued that sufficient evidence had been found against all the accused. Even if 52 prosecution witnesses had turned hostile some of the contents of the statements had favoured the prosecution.
