Ranjith Sreenivasan was hacked to death in front of his family in December 2021.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Fifteen persons with links to the now-banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) have been sentenced to death by a Kerala court for the murder of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan. Sreenivasan was a BJP OBC wing leader when he was murdered in 2021 in Kerala’s Alappuzha.
The sentence was pronounced by Mavelikkara Additional District Judge V.G. Sreedevi. The court had already ruled that all 15 of the accused were guilty of the crime.
All accused, except one, were in the court for the sentencing, media reports reaching here said on Tuesday.
Special prosecutor Prathap G. Padickal revealed that while 14 of the convicted individuals were present in court, the judge stated orally that the sentence would also apply to the convict who was not present that day. The remaining convict, currently hospitalised, will face the sentencing when produced in court.
The prosecution had sought the maximum sentence for the convicts, saying that they were a “trained killer squad” and the cruel and diabolical manner in which the victim was killed in front of his mother, infant, and wife brings it within the ambit of the “rarest of the rarest” of crimes.
Eight of the accused were convicted of murder, while the others were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, Live Law reported.
Sreenivasan was murdered at his home on the morning of 19 December 2021, allegedly in front of his mother, wife, and child. The incident occurred merely hours after a Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader K.S. Shan was killed by a group of people.
The first eight accused, who were found guilty of directly taking part in the act of murder, were convicted under Sections 302 (murder), 149 (unlawful assembly), 449 (house trespass to commit an offence punishable with death), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Accused 9 to 12 reportedly stood guard outside the BJP leader’s house with deadly weapons when the crime was being committed. They were convicted under Sections 302 r/w 149 and 447 (criminal trespass) of the IPC.
The family of the slain leader and the BJP expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision. Sreenivasan’s wife conveyed their gratitude to the prosecution and investigating officers, stating, “This was an exceptionally rare case, and our loss is immense.”
BJP state president K Surendran stated, “Finally truth prevails — Ranjith Sreenivasan, the great martyr, got justice today…we are happy with the judgement.” — With input from Agencies