Known offenders and accused in the Paul Muthoot George murder case, Om Prakash and Puthenpalam Rajesh, were on Monday allowed unconditional bail by the Alappuzha Sessions Court. However, with the two facing trial in six other cases, including murder, in various courts in the State, they will remain in jail.
Sessions Judge E. Mytheen Kunju, after hearing defence counsel Priyadarshan Thampi’s argument that the police had not been able to prove any involvement of the duo in the case other than attempts to destroy evidence, ruled that the charges framed against the two were bailable as per Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code. The criminal background of the duo was not being taken into consideration in connection with the Muthoot murder case and hence they were being allowed unconditional bail, the judge said.
The two, who were first named as the 15th and 16th accused in the case which has a total of 25 persons as accused, later became the 24th and 25th accused when the charge sheet was submitted to the Ramankary Judicial First Class Magistrate court.
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With Om Prakash and Rajesh being allowed bail, five of the 25 accused have now been given bail in the case. Earlier, Riyaz, Farooque and Marzook, the 19th, 20th and 21st accused, were allowed bail by the District Sessions Court. The charges against the three were helping to destroy evidence and assisting the other accused in the case to hide from the law.
Meanwhile, hearing on the bail application filed by five other accused in the case, including Kaari Satheesh, who had confessed to stabbing Paul, will be on December 28 at the Sessions Court. The five, along with three others, were earlier refused bail by the Ramankary magistrate court.