A court in Kerala on Tuesday, 30 January, awarded death sentences to 15 persons allegedly linked to the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in December 2021.
On 20 January, the Additional Sessions Court of Mavelikkara, Alappuzha, found them guilty of killing Sreenivasan, who was the BJP's OBC Morcha state secretary, allegedly in front of his family.
Additional District Judge VG Sreedevi pronounced the sentence after the prosecution argued that the incident falls under the ambit of the "rarest of rare" crimes.
This is reportedly the first time in Kerala that all the convicts in a single case are receiving the death penalty.
The first eight accused were convicted of murder, while the others were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, Live Law reported.
What is the case? 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 KS Shan was killed by a group of people on the night of 18 December 2021.
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.
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