New Delhi: In a rare judgment, the Mavelikkara Additional Sessions Court in Kerala has sentenced 14 workers affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the Popular Front of India (PFI) to death for the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Alappuzha.It is for the first time in Kerala that so many people have been given capital punishment for the same crime, The News Minute reported.The court also imposed fines and rigorous imprisonment on the convicted individuals, marking a rare and severe punishment, reported Indian Express. The sentencing, delivered by Mavelikkara Additional District Judge V.G. Sreedevi, comes 770 days after Ranjith Sreenivasan was hacked to death on December 19, 2021, in front of his wife, mother, and minor daughter. Sreenivasan was a BJP state committee member and OBC Morcha state secretary. The group were ostensibly avenging the killing of SDPI leader K.S. Shan the night before.The court found the first 12 accused directly involved in the murder, while accused 13 to 15 were deemed as accomplices. The prosecution established murder charges against the first eight accused, with others found guilty of criminal conspiracy.Ranjith’s widow expressed gratitude for the verdict, saying that the court’s decision as a “rare instance of justice being served.” She thanked the prosecution and the police for their “unwavering support” during the legal process.On January 20, the court heard the prosecution’s plea for the maximum penalty, describing the convicts as a “trained killer squad.” The trial highlighted the nature of the crime, categorising it as one of the “rarest of the rarest” crimes.The convicted individuals include Naizam, Ajmal, Anoop, Muhammed Aslam, Salam Ponnad, Abdul Kalam, Safarudheen, Munshad, Jaseeb Raja, Navas, Shemeer, Naseer, Zakeer Hussain, Shaji Poovathungal, and Shamnas Ashraf.The murder was part of a series of violent incidents in Alappuzha, involving groups associated with both the SDPI-PFI and the RSS-BJP.The murder had triggered protests and demonstrations by activists from both the BJP and SDPI, prompting heightened police vigilance across the state. The timing of the murders, coupled with the alleged hit list found on the third accused’s mobile phone, adds a layer of complexity to the case.The legal proceedings exposed the depth of animosity between political factions, leading to a ban on the Popular Front of India by the Centre on September 28, 2022, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
