Kochi: The Verdict of Five Years' Imprisonment for four leaders in the case of murder of Youth Congress workers Sarath Lal and Kripesh is a major setback for the CPM. According to the court verdict, Four leaders have been sentenced to five years in prison, which is a heavy blow to the CPM. A former MLA and former local committee members were among those convicted. It will be the first time in Kerala's political history that a former MLA is sentenced in a murder case. The judgment by the CBI court discredits the party's claims that it had no involvement in the murder.

The first accused in the case is A. Peethambaran, a former member of the Periya local committee of the CPM. The court sentenced Peethambaran to double life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 2 lakhs. The court had found that he was guilty of charges including murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, creating a riot and unlawful detention.

Apart from Peethambaran, three other leaders have also been sentenced to five years in prison and fined ten thousand rupees. Among them, the most prominent is former MLA K.V. Kunhiraman. The party was shocked to hear about the verdict of a former MLA being sentenced for a murder. K.V. Kunhiraman was the 20th accused in the case. The court's verdict against Kunhiraman, who was considered for the position of district secretary, has caused a major crisis for the party in Kasaragod.

The court found that the three leaders, excluding the first accused, were involved in the abduction of the accused from police custody. Among them, the 14th accused, K. Manikandan, is the former secretary of the Uduma area committee  and the President of the Kanhangad Block Panchayat. Manikandan was also considered as a candidate for the Uduma constituency in the Legislative Assembly elections. The court's verdict against Manikandan is a significant setback for the party.

The 21st accused, Raghavan Velutholi, is the former secretary of the Pakkam Local Committee and a leader of the Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi. Other accused found guilty are active CPM workers.

In addition to these, the court acquitted ten individuals, including N. Balakrishnan, the former secretary of the Periya Local Committee, and P. Rajesh, the former secretary of the Echiladukkam branch. The court cleared eight other party members, and the Congress leadership has already made it clear that it will appeal against their acquittal, so the case is unlikely to end here.

With the court's verdict, the claims of senior CPM leaders that the party had no involvement in the Periya murder case are now exposed before the public.  After the court found the accused guilty, senior leader A.K. Balan responded by claiming that everything was a legal procedure. He downplayed the matter, stating that one Congress member would have no hesitation in killing another Congress member. 

It is closely watched that what stance would be taken by the Chief Minister and party state secretary regarding the matter.