P. Mohanan, Kozhikode district secretariat member of the Communist Party of India – (Marxist) [CPI-M] and 14th accused in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, filed a bail application before the Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad Cases) on Thursday.
R. Narayana Pisharadi, special judge, posted the application to May 4. Mohanan moved the bail plea stating that the deposition of eyewitnesses had been over. His contention was that the Supreme Court, which had rejected his bail application in February, had asked him to file a fresh application once the cross-examination of witnesses was over. Mohanan had moved the apex court after the Kerala High Court rejected his bail plea in December 2012.
However, the prosecution argued that the Supreme Court had not mentioned where the accused should file his application and hence the trial court should not consider his bail plea. The case related to a gang allegedly hired by a section of leaders of the CPI(M) hacking to death Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T.P. Chandrasekharan at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012.
Meanwhile, the court criticised the arbitrary action of the Prisons Department in shifting the 13 accused P.K. Kunhanandan, member of the Panur area committee of the CPI (M), and the sixth accused S. Shijith aka Annan in the case to the Kozhikode district jail.
Director General of Police (Prisons) Alexander Jacob shifted the accused citing the hardships faced by jail officials and police personnel in taking them to and fro between Kannur and Kozhikode. The court said that the Prisons Department officials had acted in an illegal manner as they had not informed the trial court regarding the shifting of the two accused. The accused moved a petition alleging that with the jail shifting they had been denied the special Ayurvedic treatment provided at the Kannur Central Prison. However, the Kannur Jail Superintendent informed the court that no such treatment had been provided to them in prison.
Several witnesses, P. Kammukutty, a Civil Police Officer with Vadakara Cyber Cell; P. Vilasini, Revenue Officer with Thalassery municipality; M. Bhaskaran, Junior Superintendent of Chokli grama panchayat; K. Chandrabhanu, Superintendent, Thalassery municipality; M. Pradeepan, secretary, Kathiroor grama panchayat; K. Rajeesh, Mahe Municipal Commissioner; K. Ajith Kumar, secretary, New Mahe grama panchayat; N. Pavithran, secretary, Kunnothuparambu grama panchayat; and M.N. Praseetha, secretary, Panniyannur grama panchayat, favoured the prosecution.
