Kerala govt files fresh appeal against Cong chief in 1995 murder attempt case

Kochi: Kerala government on Wednesday filed a fresh appeal in the Supreme Court against the Congress state chief K. Sudhakaran in the 1995 E.P. Jayarajan murder attempt case.

In May, the Kerala High Court acquitted the Congress Chief and Kannur Lok Sabha MP K. Sudhakaran of all charges in the case. However, the apex court accepted the fresh appeal after the state government pointed out that there are enough evidences against Sudhakaran.

The fresh case against Sudhakaran has been filed by the veteran CPI-M Central Committee member Jayarajan - the Left Democratic Front Convenor - who also hails from Kannur. Both leaders (Jayarajan and Sudhakaran) have been at loggerheads for the last many decades.

On April 12, 1995, E.P. Jayarajan was attacked in Andhra Pradesh when he was returning, on a train, from Chandigarh after attending a party function. When he was washing his face the accused Vikramchalil Sasi shot him in the neck.

Petta Dinesan, T. P. Rajeevan, Biju and K. Sudhakaran were included in the list of accused by the police.

Following a long-drawn legal battle, the Kerala High Court in May acquitted Sudhakaran and another accused, Rajeevan, saying that the allegations of criminal conspiracy against them were already investigated by Andhra Pradesh Police and therefore a second FIR registered in Kerala on the same accusations is not legally sustainable.

Interestingly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also hails from Kannur. The left considers Sudhakaran to be one of the biggest hurdles for the prospects of CPI-M.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Sudhakaran won the Kannu parliamentary seat and defeated CPI-M veteran M.V.Jayarajan by over one lakh votes.

In June 2023, Sudhakaran was also arrested by the Kerala Police, on the behest of CPI-M, in connection with a cheating case involving now-jailed fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. However, Sudhakaran had applied for the anticipatory bail plea. The court had ordered that if the Congress leader is arrested, he should be released on a surety bond of Rs 50,000.