KASARGOD: Congress leaders voiced their disappointment with the Ernakulam CBI Court’s judgment in the Periya twin murder case. While 14 individuals, including CPM leader and former Uduma MLA K V Kunhiraman, were convicted, the acquittal of the remaining 10 accused has left the Congress leadership dissatisfied.

Despite the conviction of some of the accused, Kripesh’s mother conveyed her deep dissatisfaction with the judgment, saying that all those responsible for her son’s murder would have to face the full consequences of their actions.

Rajmohan Unnithan, MP, said, “We are not fully satisfied with the judgment of the court, as 10 people were acquitted. From the beginning, the CPM and state government tried to protect the accused. That is why we, including the family of the victim, approached the CBI.

Before that, the probe agencies were changed during the course of the investigation. The Kerala government lacks the ability to stop the CBI from taking over the case. The chief minister knew that when the CBI took up the investigation, many popular figures would be arrested.

Former MLA K V Kunhiraman and Kanhangad block panchayat president Manikandan were included in the accused list. We intend to file an appeal seeking punishment for the 10 individuals who were acquitted, and we are planning to explore legal options to submit a petition requesting a reinvestigation to include more individuals involved in the case.”

M V Balakrishnan, CPM Kasaragod secretary, said that they would take a proper decision only after getting a copy of the verdict. CPM has no involvement in the murder of the two youths. We will consider filing an appeal after thoroughly studying the verdict and discussing whether an appeal is necessary.