The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here on Thursday provided conditional permission to the Crime Branch (CB) to conduct further investigation into the 2015 Assembly ruckus case involving six Left Democratic Front (LDF) leaders, including General Education Minister V. Sivankutty and LDF convener E.P. Jayarajan.
The court directed the investigation team to complete the probe within 60 days. The police has also been ordered to apprise the court of its progress every three weeks. The court accepted the CB’s plea to commence trial in the case only after the completion of the investigation.
While fixing the conditions for further probe, the court reminded the investigation team that the case was eight years old and could not be delayed further.
The CB had sought the court’s approval to investigate the case further after citing various gaps during the initial phase of the investigation. The team submitted that it was yet to record the statements of all the legislators who had sustained injuries in the clash. Some complaints too had not been investigated, the police stated.
The agency’s move to seek more time for the investigation had raised eyebrows since it was made long after it had submitted the chargesheet. Moreover, the court was set to announce the commencement of the trial.
Besides Mr. Sivankutty and Mr. Jayarajan, the other accused in the case includes K.T. Jaleel, C.K. Sadasivan, K. Kunhammad and K. Ajith. They have been charged with various offences, including those relating to the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The damage caused in the mayhem that unfolded in the Assembly was pegged at ₹2.20 lakh.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court will consider the plea submitted by some of the accused seeking a joint trial of all cases registered in connection with the violence only after the completion of the entire probe.
