The Kasaragod Sessions Court granted bail to all the accused, including Kerala’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K. Surendran, in the Manjeswaram election bribery case, on October 25.
While trial proceedings had earlier commenced in the case, the accused, including Mr. Surendran, did not appear in court. The defendants had filed a discharge petition claiming that the case is fabricated and without merit.
The court had earlier mandated the presence of the defendants, including Mr. Surendran, while reviewing the petition seeking to exclude them from the case. The prosecution countered this, stating that the court had previously issued summons to the accused and that the discharge petition should only be considered if the accused were present and posted bail.
