Demand for CBI probe in T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case to grow louder

Judgment lends credence to conspiracy charge

January 23, 2014 10:09 am | Updated November 16, 2021 10:28 pm IST - KANNUR

P. Mohanan, Kozhikode CPI(M) district secretariat member and one of the prime accused in the case, who has been acquitted by the Special Court, and his wife K.K. Lathika, CPI(M) MLA, in the court premises. Photo: K. Ragesh

P. Mohanan, Kozhikode CPI(M) district secretariat member and one of the prime accused in the case, who has been acquitted by the Special Court, and his wife K.K. Lathika, CPI(M) MLA, in the court premises. Photo: K. Ragesh

The judgment of the Special Additional Sessions Court (Marad cases) in Kozhikode convicting 12 of the 36 accused in the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T.P. Chandrasekharan will give fresh impetus to the demand for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the conspiracy angle.

The conviction of two local functionaries of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kannur and Kozhikode districts has lent credence to the charge by the RMP leadership and others of a high-level conspiracy.

The call for a CBI probe will become more audible, legal circles here said. It will be argued that there must be some high-level leaders who coordinated the local leadership in Kannur and Kozhikode to hatch the plan to eliminate Chandrasekharan, who formed the breakaway RMP. A highly placed source said the government had received legal advice that it could order a CBI probe. The government had mulled the proposal, but decided to wait till the court pronounced its judgment in the case. The source said the CBI probe was imminent, now that the conspiracy aspect had been endorsed by the judgment.

Referring to an aborted murder attempt on Chandrasekharan in 2009 and a case registered by the Chombal police in that connection, the source said between the aborted attempt and the actual murder at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012, there was co-ordination between the local leadership in the two districts.

The government could order further investigation if more evidence emerged, legal circles said. The conviction of CPI(M) Panur area committee member P.K. Kunhanandan and party Kunnummakkara local committee member K.C. Ramachandran, they said, established the conspiracy, and it could be cited for ordering the probe by the Central agency.

K. Sudhakaran, MP, who had been critical of the investigation by the special team of the State police, reiterated on Wednesday that the CBI be entrusted with the probe. Terming the investigation incomplete, he said the people of the State wanted to bring before law all those who had hired paid goons to kill Chandrasekharan. It was a case in which top leaders of the CPI(M) had a role, he alleged.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.