In a major blow to the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed its petition challenging the high court order directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the sensational Periya twin murder case.
The top court also ordered the state police to immediately hand over all documents related to the case to the central probe agency.
Two Youth Congress activists—Sarathlal (24) and Krupesh (19)—were hacked to death by three motorcycle-borne men on February 17, 2019 in Periya, a village in Kasaragod district. A. Peethambaran, a local leader of the ruling CPI(M), is the prime accused in the case.
The parents of the victims had moved the high court seeking a CBI investigation, saying Kerala police's investigation was not on the right track.
The Left government had vehemently opposed the CBI probe into the case and had roped in high-profile lawyers to challenge the high court order. It argued that it was not proper to say the state police's investigation was not in the right direction just because the accused are members of the ruling party.
The top court, however, upheld the HC order of August 25 and directed the state police to hand over all the documents related to the case to the CBI.
