Kannur: A Peethambaran -- accused no. 1 in the Periya double murder case and former CPM member -- is in Kannur Government Ayurveda Hospital for the past one month, without informing the special CBI court.
The court has taken exception to it and sought explanation from the superintendent of Kannur Central Prison, where Peethambaran is awaiting trial since he has been arrested in March 2019.
The superintendent shall appear in person and explain why the hospital admission of the accused was not reported at the earliest, said the special CBI court in Ernakulam.
The case is posted for hearing on Tuesday, CBI public prosecutor Bobby Joseph Y told Onmanorama.
According to the procedure, the jail superintendent should have immediately informed the court about the hospital admission. And on the direction of the court, a medical board should have been formed to diagnose his medical condition and decide on course of treatment. None of this has been followed.
Peethambaran was a member of the CPM's Periya Local Committee when he allegedly led a gang of six men who hacked to death Youth Congress workers Kripesh (19) and Sarath Lal P K (24) on February 17, 2019.
After the Crime Branch named Peethambaran and 13 others as accused, the party dropped him from the post. All the accused were either leaders, members or workers of the CPM.
"That (his association with the CPM) could be the reason why he got to be in the ayurveda hospital for one month violating the procedure," said a lawyer.
The Government Ayurveda Hospital superintendent said Peethambaran was admitted to the hospital on October 24. "They (the CBI) have taken the case file," she said.
Dr Rebi Hasheem, who is treating Peethambaran in the hospital, said the accused is suffering from lower back pain and has piles. "His treatment is almost over. He will be discharged in a week," said Dr Hasheem.
The LDF government had earlier tried to stonewall a CBI investigation into the case for one year, despite orders from the single bench and the division bench of the Kerala High Court.
The single bench had quashed the charge-sheet filed by the Crime Branch accusing it of going by the statement given by Peethambaran.
The Crime Branch did not even conduct forensic tests on the weapons purportedly used in the crime.
Later, the CBI took over the case on the direction of the Supreme Court and filed an additional charge sheet naming 10 more CPM leaders and workers in the case.
In May 2021, the wives of the first three accused in the Periya double murder case, were appointed as temporary staff in the Kasaragod District Hospital in Kanhangad.
P Manjusha, wife of accused no. 1 A Peethambaran (55); Chinchu Philip, wife of accused no. 2 Saji George (52); and S Baby, wife of accused no. 3 K M Suresh (28) joined as cleaning staff in the hospital on May 17.
At least 465 persons had applied for four posts of cleaning staff. The three wives had secured the first three ranks in the list.
They later resigned in July when the appointments became public and controversial.
