Kannur: The Thalassery Additional Sessions Court on Thursday acquitted nine members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP in a case related to the murder of CPM worker Chanbatt Chandran of Panoor in 2009.
Additional Sessions Judge J Vimal noted that the prosecution fabricated the case.
Chandran, who was an active worker of CPM in the Panoor region was hacked at his house by a gang at 7.15 pm on March 12, 2009. He succumbed to his injuries at a houspital the next day.
Before the murder of Chandran, an RSS activist, Vinayan had been hacked to death allegedly by CPM workers. The police found Chandran's death was a political killing.
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RSS-BJP workers Santhosh (43) of Odakkath, Ajayan alias Kuttan (50) of Mundan Veettil, NP Sreejesh (43), VC Santhosh (43), KP Bijesh (40) KK Sajeevan (45) Mottammal Shaji (52), Puthanpurayil Dileep Kumar (53) and PP Manmadan (48) were the accused in the case.
The fourth accused VC Santhosh died during the trial.
The defence counsel argued that the case was fabricated citing the delay in registering the FIR. Both Chandran and Vinayan were taken to hospitals by the police. But, police made a deliberate delay in registering case in connection with former's death while an FIR was registered on the same day of the latter's death, the counsel argued.
Former Inspectors of Panoor, VP Surendran and PK Santhosh had investigated the case and submitted the charge-sheet. Advocates P Premajan, PS Eshwaran, Joseph Thomas and T Sunil Kumar appeared for the accused.
