Ernakulam: The trial into the murder case of Muslim Youth League worker Abdul Shukoor has been moved from Kannur to Ernakulam. The High Court, while considering a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), ordered for the trial to be shifted from the Thalassery sessions court to the Ernakulam CBI special court.
Shukoor, who was also a leader of IUML's student's wing - Muslim Students Federation (MSF), was brutally killed on February 20, 2012. He was killed allegedly by CPM workers at Keezhara, hours after IUML men attacked a convoy of CPM leaders P Jayarajan and T V Rajesh at Taliparamba in Kannur.
The HC had last month stalled the trial proceedings at the Thalassery sessions court after the CBI sought for the case to be moved to Ernakulam.
After conducting a reprobe over the conspiracy angle, the CBI had submitted a supplementary charge-sheet in the case at the Ernakulam chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court. However, the CJM court pointed out that as the original charge-sheet was filed by the local police in the Thalassery sessions court, the supplementary charge-sheet too should be submitted there. Though the charge-sheet was then submitted at the Thalassery sessions court, it refused to accept the report in an order issued on February 19, 2019.
The CBI plea sought to move the further proceedings over the probe reports submitted by the local police and the CBI to the CBI court.
The CBI had slapped criminal conspiracy and murder charges against CPM Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan and Kalliasseri MLA T V Rajesh over the Shukoor case. This is mentioned in the supplementary charge-sheet filed before the Thalassery principal sessions court after the reprobe.
The police had charged them with IPC 118 (concealing design to commit offence). The CBI had replaced these charges with 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy to commit offence) and murder charges. The CBI probe was held as per an HC ruling on a petition moved by Shukoor's mother. A plea filed against the CBI probe is pending before the Supreme Court.
33 accused
There are 33 accused in the case. Jayarajan is the 32nd accused, while Rajesh is 33rd accused. Accused 1-27 have direct links to the crime and 28-31 accused took part in the conspiracy, while 32nd and 33rd accused concealed the plot to commit crime, the police charge-sheet said. Shukoor's mother had moved the HC against this. The CBI chargesheet clearly point out that the 32nd and 33rd accused had taken part in the conspiracy.
The CBI has said that the conspiracy to kill Shukoor was plotted in the presence of Jayarajan and Rajesh. They took part in the planning to kill and when the instructions for murder were being given, they were in the same room as the other accused. There are also witnesses who saw them at the room, the CBI said.
Muslim League workers had blocked Jayarajan and Rajesh's car at Ariyil near Taliparamba on February 20, 2012. Shukoor was murdered within 3.5 hours to extract revenge, the police case said.
Daylight murder
The CPM leaders' car was blocked around 11am. After filing a complaint at the Taliparamba police station, Jayarajan and Rajesh head to the hospital. Shukoor took refuge at a house by 12 noon after CPM workers followed him. CPM workers allegedly swarmed the house. Both Shukoor and his friends were reportedly dragged out of the house in two batches by 2:15pm and taken to a field 50metres away. The youth was stabbed to death by 2:30pm after a ‘public trial’.
