Kerala High Court's Decision Stir Controversy Between LDF and Congress

The Kerala High Court's decision to discharge KPCC chief K Sudhakaran from a 1995 conspiracy to murder case has sparked a fierce political battle between the LDF and Congress. LDF convener E P Jayarajan plans to appeal, while Congress celebrates it as a victory against alleged political targeting.

LDF convener E P Jayarajan on Tuesday said that he intends to appeal against the Kerala High Court order discharging KPCC chief K Sudhakaran in a case in which he was accused of conspiring to kill some senior CPI(M) leaders, including the veteran Marxist, back in 1995.

The Congress, on the other hand, welcomed the High Court decision and claimed that the case against Sudhakaran was a deliberate conspiracy to ''politically destroy'' him.

Jayarajan said that he would also request the Kerala government to file an appeal against the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court.

''The accused should be punished for their crimes, no matter how many years it takes,'' he said while speaking to reporters in the state capital.

Jayarajan alleged that the conspiracy behind the attack was hatched in Delhi and Kerala and the actual target was Pinarayi Vijayan.

He further alleged that Sudhakaran was the mastermind and that the KPCC chief always manages to ''escape'' from such cases.

The LDF convener also said that he needs to examine whether the prosecution and his lawyer were able to present his side and the evidence before the High Court properly.

Welcoming the High Court decision, Sudhakaran, who is in Delhi presently, told reporters that the order was akin to being freed as the case was like a sword hanging over his head.

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief alleged that a false story was created by the CPI(M) to target him politically and as part of that, he was characterised as a criminal.

''The High Court's order is a blow to the political moves of the Left and the BJP to destroy me politically,'' he contended.

Sudhakaran said if Jayarajan or the state government wanted to appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court order, they were welcome to do so.

''I will fight it out there also,'' he said.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan too welcomed the High Court's order and claimed that it indicated a conspiracy by the CPI(M) to implicate its opponents in criminal cases for political gains.

Satheesan also said if Jayarajan was allegedly claiming that the prosecution failed to convince the court, then he was blaming Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Kerala High Court discharged Sudhakaran and another accused in the case, Rajeevan, saying that the allegations of criminal conspiracy against them were already investigated by Andhra Pradesh police and therefore, a second FIR registered in Kerala on the same accusations was not justified.

The order came on a plea moved by Sudhakaran and Rajeev against a 2016 decision of a Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) court rejecting their prayer to discharge them from the case.

Jayarajan has alleged that Sudhakaran and other accused met at Thycaud Guest House in Thiruvananthapuram back in 1995 and conspired to do away with the leaders of the CPI(M).

The CPI(M) veteran was shot at and injured when he was travelling by train from Delhi to Kerala.

The incident happened when the train was passing through Chirala in Andhra Pradesh.

Jayarajan has alleged that RSS contract killers were hired to carry out the work and on being caught after the shooting, they named Sudhakaran as the mastermind.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)