In a landmark judgment, a district sessions court in Kannur on Monday sentenced eight CPI(M) workers to life imprisonment for their involvement in the 2005 murder of BJP worker Elambilayi Sooraj. Among those convicted is P M Manoraj, the brother of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s press secretary. Another CPI(M) worker received a three-year rigorous imprisonment term for his role in the crime.
The court found nine individuals guilty on Friday for the brutal killing of Sooraj, who was hacked to death on August 7, 2005, in Muzhappilangad village, Kannur. The sentencing marks the end of a long-standing case that saw significant delays in legal proceedings.
Among those sentenced to life is T K Rajeesh, who is already serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 2012 murder of rebel Marxist leader T P Chandrasekharan. Others convicted include Prabhakaran Master, a former local secretary of the CPI(M) and ex-president of the Edakkad panchayat, along with two CPI(M) local committee members, K V Padmanabhan and Manombeth Radhakrishnan.
According to the prosecution, Sooraj had been a CPI(M) member before quitting the party in 2003 to join the BJP. His departure allegedly angered local CPI(M) leaders, leading to a premeditated attack on him.
The court heard that Sooraj had survived an earlier assassination attempt a year before his murder, during which he suffered serious injuries. Notably, three of the CPI(M) leaders convicted in his murder—Prabhakaran, Padmanabhan, and Radhakrishnan—had also been accused in the previous attack.
As per the charge sheet, on August 5, 2005, five of the accused, including the three local CPI(M) leaders, conspired to eliminate Sooraj. Two days later, on August 7, six individuals, including an auto-rickshaw driver among the accused, arrived at the crime scene. They ambushed Sooraj and attacked him with lethal weapons, fatally wounding him.
Though the trial commenced in 2010, legal proceedings stalled for several years. A breakthrough occurred in 2012 following the arrest of T K Rajeesh, a CPI(M)-backed gang leader implicated in the murder of T P Chandrasekharan. During his interrogation, Rajeesh confessed to his role in multiple political murders, including that of Sooraj.
Until his arrest, Rajeesh’s involvement in political killings in Kannur had remained undisclosed. His confession prompted the Kerala High Court to order a reinvestigation into Sooraj’s murder, eventually leading to the convictions handed down by the Kannur court.
The case has underscored the long history of politically motivated violence in Kerala, particularly in Kannur, a district known for clashes between rival political factions. With this verdict, the judiciary has reaffirmed its commitment to justice, ensuring accountability for political crimes.
