While awarding the maximum punishment to convicts in the Ranjith Sreenivas murder case, Mavelikara Additional District Sessions Court-I Judge Sreedevi V.G. observed that “of course, it is a political murder. But, there is a clear distinction between a usual political murder and this case.”
“The crime committed was not only shocking, but it had also jeopardized society. The awarding of a lesser sentence only on the ground of the accused being young could not be considered a mitigating circumstance in view of the fact that the murder committed was most cruelly, heinously and dastardly,” reads the judgement adding that a holistic examination of the material on record shows that the barbaric offence in question could only be termed as a “rarest of rare case.”
The court citing the report submitted by the State said that the accused persons hardcore criminals and “there is no chance for reformation because they are very deeply interested in the affairs of the said organisation (Popular Front of India/ Social Democratic Party of India) which is widespread in the country and in case such activities are allowed to continue in society, it would hamper the peace in society. Moreover, it should be deterred, for which, a deterrent punishment is required.” The court noted that the accused have justified the act “for their organisation.”
Terming it a premeditated murder, the court said the sequence of events that resulted in Ranjith’s murder started after the killing of Nandukrishna, an RSS worker, allegedly by the members of SDPI on February 24, 2021.
The accused, according to the court documents, were expecting a retaliation and they had prepared a list of persons to attack in case one of them was targeted and started training for the same. When SDPI leader K.S. Shan was killed on December 18, 2021, they went after Ranjith “to show society that in case any one them is touched, the consequence would be very grave,” reads the judgement.
A “hitlist” with names of people, including that of Sreenivas, to be targeted in case of retaliation to Nandukrishna’s murder found in the mobile phone of Anoop (third accused) turned out to be crucial in proving the case.
The court noted that the murder was committed in the most gruesome manner as “even the parts of the skull were seen scattered and a tooth was also seen scattered in the room.” “Taking into consideration the brutality of the attack, the vulnerability of the victim and the diabolic notes, acts of perversion cumulatively would definitely justify the imposition of the death penalty,” reads the judgement.
