Kochi: The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Ernakulam rejected the bail applications of five accused persons in the Periya twin murder case on Friday.
The court accepted the CBI's argument that granting bail would help the accused having high political connections in the ruling front to sabotage the case in which two Youth Congress activists, Kripesh, 19, and Sarath Lal, 24, were hacked to death at Periya in Kasaragod on February 17, 2019.
The bail applications were moved by the accused, CPM Echiladukkam branch secretary P Rajesh alias Raju, Surendran alias Vishnu Sura, A Madhu alias Sastha Madhu, Reji Varghese and A Hari Prasad.
The CBI has charged the accused with conspiracy for committing murder, collecting and passing on information about the murdered duo's travel plans, procuring and providing weapons used in the murder, and arranging transportation facilities to those who had committed the murder.
Counsel for defence argued that the accused need not be remanded further in judicial custody since the CBI had arrested all the accused and submitted the chargesheet.
The CBI, however, opposed, saying the accused should be kept in judicial remand till the completion of trial in the political murder case, in which senior CPM leaders, too, had a role.
The probe team expressed apprehension that the accused would influence the witnesses in the case.
The CBI's chargesheet submitted on December 3 had named 24 persons, including former MLA K V Kunhiraman, as accused.
