Kochi, Jan 3: A CBI court here on Friday sentenced 10 CPI-M workers to a double life term and four others including a former party legislator to five years’ imprisonment in the Periya twin murder case.

On Saturday last, the CBI court had convicted 14 people and exonerated 10 in the case pertaining to the brutal murders of Kerala Youth Congress workers Kripesh (19) and P.K. Sarath Lal (24) on February 17, 2019, in Periya, Kasaragod district.

However, the families of the victims said they were expecting capital punishment for the accused and since that has not been given and 10 others were exonerated, they will speak with the Congress leadership and appeal against the verdict.

The victims were allegedly killed by CPI-M workers in a politically-motivated attack.

According to the court, eight of the accused were directly involved in the twin murders, while six others played indirect roles.

The court gave a double life term to the eight who were directly involved in the cold blooded murder, while two others, who were part of the conspiracy, were also given a double life term.

Among the convicted is former MLA and CPI-M district leader K.V. Kunhiraman, accused of forcibly removing the second accused from police custody. Kunhiraman has been given five years’ imprisonment.

Initially investigated by the Crime Branch, the case was handed over to the CBI after a plea was filed by the victims’ families in the High Court.

The CBI concluded that the murders stemmed from a cycle of politically-motivated attacks between CPI-M and Congress workers in the region.

At Periya in Kasargod there was a huge gathering of Congress party workers and family members of the two victims at their memorial site. After hearing the verdict, some of the women of the two workers’ families were seen in tears.

Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan while talking about the verdict said it was notable that among the accused are a former CPI-M legislator and workers.

“All along, the CPI-M leadership and party denied their leader’s and party workers’ role in the brutal crime. Now see, they have been sentenced. This is the way the CPI-M works,” said Satheesan.

K.K. Rema, an independent legislator who won with the Congress-led UDF’s support, whose husband, T.P. Chandrasekharan, was also murdered by CPI-M workers, criticised the party’s attempts to protect the accused.

“Just look at the way the CPI-M employed high priced lawyers from Delhi to fight the case and more than Rs 1 crore have been spent to save the guilty,” said Rema.

AICC general secretary and Alappuzha Congress Lok Sabha member, K.C. Venugopal, said the verdict brings out the real face of the CPI-M as they engage in annihilating political opponents.

The counsel for the accused said once the papers of the verdict come, they will file an appeal against it.

The 10 accused, who have been sentenced to the double life term, will each have to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh, while the remaining four have to pay a fine of Rs 10,000, and all of this will go to the families of the two victims.

Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is quite active on social media, took to his Instagram handle in the wee hours of Friday and shared a post stating how the nation mourned the loss of some eminent personalities in 2024 by looking beyond their religion.

Big B shared a cartoon showing the late Ratan Tata, former PM Manmohan Singh, tabla legend Zakir Hussain and filmmaker Shyam Benegal, all in heaven. “A Parsi, a Muslim, a Sikh and a Hindu passed away in 2024 and the whole nation mourned and remembered them only as Indians,” the post read.

Sharing it on his handle, Big B wrote, “The picture says it all”.

As soon as he shared the post, netizens lauded his thought and said how this inclusivity was the true essence of India. However, it was a comment by veteran actress Nafisa Ali that caught everyone’s attention.

The Life In A…Metro actress commented under Big B’s post: “Deeply touched by your thoughts today… You should the President of India… wishing you health, happiness and heartfelt peace (sic).”

The former chairperson of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata, sent the entire nation into mourning as he passed away on October 9, 2024, at the age of 86. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain breathed his last on December 15, and his death was followed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s demise on December 23. Ex-PM Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, 2024.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Big B has his hands full with multiple projects in his kitty. While the actor is set to play key roles in the second part of Kalki 2898 AD and Section 84, he is also currently shooting as the host for his popular game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Chennai, Jan 3: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at five locations linked to DMK leader and Member of Parliament Kathir Anand.

The raids, which commenced in the morning, are still ongoing. The ED officials have yet to release any statements to the media.

Kathir Anand is the son of S. Duraimurugan, a senior DMK leader and the second-in-command in the Stalin cabinet.

He represents the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency in Parliament.

There have been allegations that the ED is targeting the DMK by conducting such raids.

Previously, the ED carried out searches at the premises of DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K. Ponmudy and his son, Gautham Sigamani, in a money laundering case.

The DMK has referred to these operations as acts of “political vendetta”.

In 2019, then-President Ram Nath Kovind, acting on a recommendation from the Election Commission of India (ECI), rescinded the Lok Sabha election in Vellore due to the seizure of unaccounted cash from Kathir Anand and related locations.

During the 2019 polls, the ECI officials confiscated a total of Rs 11 crore from Anand’s residence and other properties. Following this, the ECI issued a statement then: “Accepting the recommendation of the Election Commission of India dated April 14, 2019, the Honourable President is pleased to rescind the election to the Vellore parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu.”

The election, initially scheduled for April 18, 2019, was cancelled on April 16, 2019, due to the cash recovery.

A re-election was held on August 5, 2019, where Kathir Anand, representing the DMK, won by a narrow margin of 8,141 votes, defeating A.C. Shanmugham of the AIADMK.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kathir Anand secured a more decisive victory, defeating A.C. Shanmugham, who had since joined the BJP, by a significant margin of 2,15,702 votes.