The Alappuzha Additional District and Sessions Court-III on February 26 (Monday) dismissed a petition filed by the accused in the murder of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader K.S. Shan in Kerala seeking to “return” the chargesheet submitted by the Crime Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) against them.
The defence argued that the murder case was registered by the Mannancherry police, under whose jurisdiction the crime happened, and as such the chargesheet should have been submitted by the Mannancherry Circle Inspector instead of the DySP who probed the case.
Judge Roy Varghese observed that the chargesheet remained valid and accepted it. “We (the prosecution) argued that the DySP was appointed by the District Police Chief to lead the investigation in the case. As such, the DySP has the right to submit the chargesheet. The court accepted it and dismissed the petition seeking to return the chargesheet,” said Harris P.P., public prosecutor in the Shan murder case.
The court, meanwhile, deferred hearing on a plea filed by the prosecution to quash the bail granted to 10 of the 11 accused in the Shan murder case to March 23. Earlier, the 10 accused were granted bail by the Alappuzha court, while one secured bail from the Kerala High Court.
Shan, 38, was attacked allegedly by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists at Kuppezham Junction at Mannancherry in Alappuzha around 7.30 p.m. on December 18, 2021. He succumbed to his injuries around 11.30 p.m. The SDPI leader was heading home on his motorcycle when a car rear-ended his two-wheeler. A group of persons came out of the car and attacked him with iron rods and other weapons.
The trigger for Shan’s murder was the killing of RSS worker Nandukrishna, 22, allegedly by SDPI men at Vayalar in Alappuzha on February 24, 2021.
In less than 12 hours after the murder of Shan, a gang hacked to death Ranjith, 40, Bharatiya Janata Party OBC Morcha State secretary, at his house at Vellakinar in Alappuzha municipality on December 19, 2021 when he was about to go for a morning walk.
In January 2024, the Mavelikara Additional District Sessions Court-I awarded the death penalty to 14 of the 15 convicts in the murder of the BJP leader.
