Kochi: The CBI court today delivered its verdict in the Periya double murder case. Youth Congress workers Sarath Lal and Kripesh were murdered on February 17, 2019. The court found 14 individuals, including six CPM leaders, guilty in the case. The sentencing for the convicted individuals will be announced on January 3 by the Ernakulam CBI court.
Among those found guilty are former Uduma MLA K.V. Kunhiraman and former Periya Local Committee member A. Peethambaran. The court acquitted 10 other accused due to a lack of evidence.
The first eight accused—A. Peethambaran (1st accused), Saji C. George (2nd), K.M. Suresh (3rd), K. Anil Kumar (4th), Jijin (5th), R. Srirag (6th), A. Ashwin (7th), and Subeesh (8th)—were found guilty of murder and conspiracy. Others convicted include T. Ranjith (10th), K. Manikandan (14th), A. Surendran (15th), K.V. Kunhiraman (20th), Raghavan Velutholi (21st), and K.V. Bhaskaran (22nd).
Those acquitted due to insufficient evidence include Murali A. (9th), Pradeep (11th), Manikandan B. (12th), Balakrishnan N. (13th), Madhu A. (16th), Reji Varghese (17th), Hariprasad (18th), Rajesh P. (19th), V. Gopakumar (23rd), and Sandeep P.V. (24th).
The Periya double murder case is one of the most controversial cases that put the CPM under scrutiny, second only to the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case. Initially investigated by the police and later the Crime Branch, the case was transferred to the CBI following a directive from the High Court. The case involved 270 witnesses and was investigated by the CBI’s Thiruvananthapuram unit. The trial, which began in the Kochi CBI court on February 2, 2023, concluded on December 23, 2024.
