A magistrate court here on Thursday refused to grant bail to three Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists arraigned by the Central Bureau of Investigation as prime suspects in the 2010 murder of Congress trade unionist Eroor Ramabhadran.
Those denied bail included Maxon, who is on the personal staff of Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty. The CBI argued that suspects were powerful apparatchiks of the CPI(M) in Kollam. If accorded bail, they would attempt to sway witnesses in their favour and try to sabotage the probe.
On Wednesday, the CBI had arrested S. Jayamohan, Chairman of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation, on the suspicion of conspiring to murder the Indian National Trade Union Congress leader. He was questioned for four hours and let off on bail.
Ramabhadran’s murder had caused a public outcry in the State. The trade unionist was hacked to death while having dinner with his family at his house on the night of April 10, 2010. His wife and daughter were witnesses to the crime. The CBI suspected that he was killed to avenge the near fatal attack on Girish, a CPI(M) worker, in Anchal the same year.
Bindu, Ramabhadran’s wife, had sought a CBI inquiry after she felt the State police had failed to indict the conspirators. The CBI said at least 20 more persons were likely to figure as accused in the case.
