Court acquits Grow Vasu as prosecution fails to prove charges

Kozhikode: The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court at Kunnamangalam on Wednesday acquitted human rights activist Grow Vasu in connection with a protest in front of Kozhikode Medical College, seven years ago, against the alleged extra-judicial police killings of Maoists in Nilambur. The Kunnamangalam court quashed the charges stating that the prosecution was unable to prove the charges levied against him. 

Vasu has been in jail for 46 days now. The police had levied IPC 283, 143, and 147 sections against him. There were a total of 20 people on the accused list of which 17 had been acquitted earlier and 2 had paid the fines to remove the charge against them. Grow Vasu was the only one left in the case. 

The case gained wide attention after nonagenarian Grow Vasu, the first accused, refused to accept bail or settle the case by paying a fine. On Tuesday, the last day of the hearing, Vasu, who has been defending the case himself, reiterated his allegation that the case was fabricated. The court later extended Vasu’s remand and reserved the verdict on the case for Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, Lalu, a seventh witness in the case, had earlier turned hostile by stating that he had not seen Vasu protesting at the hospital premises. Vasu has been booked under IPC sections 283 and 143 (unlawful assembly). 

The incident pertaining to the case happened in 2016 when the veteran Maoist leader and a few others had gathered in front of the mortuary at the MCH to protest the deaths of Maoists Kuppuswamy alias Devarajan and Ajitha Paramesan alias Kaveri who were killed in an alleged encounter. Vasu and others launched their protest when the dead bodies of the duo were brought to the hospital.