Kerala - Kannur   

BJP calls for review petition against acquittal

Staff Reporter

Jayakrishnan murder case

KANNUR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president P.K. Krishnadas has urged the State Government to file a review petition against the Supreme Court judgment acquitting four of the five Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers sentenced to death in the K.T. Jayakrishnan murder case and commuting the sentence of the remaining one to life imprisonment.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Krishnadas said all the four convicts in the case were acquitted by the apex court not because they were found not guilty. The court had given them the benefit of doubt, he said adding that the Government alone could file review petition against the Supreme Court order.

Referring to the strictures passed by the lower court and the High Court against the police in the investigation in the case, Mr. Krishnadas said that attempts to scuttle the investigation were made at the very beginning.

The accused were given the benefit of doubt by the Supreme Court because of the flaw on the part of the investigating officials, he said. The prosecution had not been able to convince the apex court of this flaw when the case was taken up, he said adding that the lawyers who appeared for the Government functioned under the instruction of the political leadership of the Government.

"The Marxist Government in the State has in a calculated manner subverted the judicial system," the BJP State chief said. He said that the `subversion' of the judicial system would lead to erosion of credibility of the judiciary. The time taken for arguments in the Supreme Court on the appeal petition in what was termed as the rarest of the rare case totalled only 50 minutes, he pointed out.

Alleging that the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader K.T. Jayakrishan in the classroom of a school at Mokery here itself had been part of a conspiracy between the then CPI(M)-led Government and a section of police officers, Mr. Krishnadas said the party would mobilise State-wide protest against the CPI(M) leadership's attitude that it could go to any extent when it had money and power. The BJP would take political and legal measures against the judgment, he said. State-wide public functions would be held on December 20 to demand the State Government to file review petition, he said adding that it would resort to agitation to press the demand in January. Mr. Krishnadas said that the local-level receptions being given to the acquitted in the case were an indication that the CPI(M) leadership in the district was instigating provocation to create trouble in the district.

On the SNC Lavalin case, the BJP leader said that the Congress leadership in the State should urge the Central Government for a CBI probe if it was serious about its allegation of moves to scuttle the investigation in the case.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

BJP calls for review petition against acquittal
Kunnathurpadi festival begins tomorrow
Acquitted CPI(M) workers released

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu