Kasaragod: The special CBI court on Saturday acquitted ten individuals who were among the accused in the Periya double murder case. Youth Congress workers Kripesh (21) and Sarathlal P K (23) were brutally hacked to death at Kalliyot near Kasaragod's Periya on February 17, 2019, during the build-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Below are the acquitted individuals and the charges they faced:

1. Murali A (Accused 9): Allegedly involved in burning the clothes used during the crime.
2. Ranjith T alias Appu (Accused 10): Accused of conducting surveillance and alerting the hit team about the victims' movements.
3. Manikandan B alias Alakode Mani (Accused 12): A CITU worker, accused of burning clothes related to the crime.
4. Balkrishnan N (Accused 13): The CPM Periya Local Secretary, accused of burning clothes and sheltering the accused.
5. Sastha Madhu (Accused 16): Responsible for logistics, including vehicles used in the crime. He is the uncle of Gijin (Accused 5).

6. Regi Varghese (Accused 17): A trader, accused of supplying weapons, including pipes used by the perpetrators.
7. Hariprasad A (Accused 18): A cooperative bank employee, accused of arranging logistics to help the accused escape.
8. Rajesh P (Accused 19): The CPM Echiladukkam Branch Secretary, accused of managing party cadres, assisting in conspiracy, and being on standby in case of emergencies.
9. Gopakumar V (Accused 23): Allegedly assisted in helping Subeesh (Accused 8) escape to the UAE after the crime.
10. Sandeep P V (Accused 24): Along with Gopakumar, accused of facilitating Subeesh's escape to the UAE.