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BJP Kerala State president K. Surendran (file)
| Photo Credit: K Ragesh
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (October 16, 2024) stayed further proceedings in connection with the discharge of BJP Kerala State president K. Surendran and five others by a sessions court from the Manjeswaram election bribery case.
Justice K. Babu admitted the criminal revision petition moved against the sessions court’s October 5 order by the Kerala government.
“Admit. Further proceedings stayed. Post on November 8,” the High Court said.
On October 5, Mr. Surendran and the others were discharged by Kasaragod Sessions Judge Sanu S. Panicker.
The sessions judge, allowing the discharge plea of the accused, had said that the first accused – Mr. Surendran – was discharged of the offences under various provisions of the IPC and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (prevention of atrocities) Act 1989.
“Since the first accused is discharged of the alleged offences, I do not find any grounds to proceed against the other accused also. Hence, they are also discharged of all the alleged offences,” the sessions court had said.
While the BJP State chief had said that truth prevailed and that the case was fabricated to ruin his political prospects, the Opposition Congress had claimed that Mr. Surendran’s discharge proves the “CPI(M)-BJP mutual arrangement” not to harm each other.
Mr. Surendran was accused of intimidating his rival candidate to withdraw from the contest for the Manjeswaram constituency in the 2021 Assembly polls.
He was charged under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which are non-bailable, and under Sections 171 (B) and (E) (Bribery) of the Indian Penal Code.
Published – October 16, 2024 01:31 pm IST
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