Kochi: A CBI special court in Ernakulam today sentenced 10 convicts to double Life Imprisonment and four CPM leaders to five years Rigorous Imprisonment for killing two Youth Congress leaders in Periya in Kasargod on February 17, 2019, media reports said.
The CBI had sought capital punishment to the convicts who were found guilty by the court on December 28.
Ex MLA K V Kunhiraman, who was the 20th accused, is among the four convicts who were sentenced to five years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI).
The Youth Congress workers Sarathlal, 24, and Kripesh, 19, were brutally murdered by the convicts to settle scores as part of political rivalry.
The case, which was initially probed by Kerala Police and later by the Crime, was handed over to the CBI following a direction by the Kerala High Court which was approached by the victims’ parents. The Kerala Government challenged the CBI probe in Kerala High Court and Supreme Court, but lost.
The CBI court had convicted 14 out of 24 guilty, acquitting 10 others for lack of evidence on December 28.
The CBI started the investigation on December 10, 2020 and submitted the charge sheet in December 2021. The prosecution produced 154 witnesses, 495 documents and 85 exhibits.
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