Kochi, Aug 21 The Kerala High Court on Friday suspended the five-year sentence imposed on four people convicted in a murder attempt case related to the 2003 Muthanga agitation in Wayanad and granted them bail.
Justice A Badharudheen suspended the sentence imposed by a lower court on Geethanandan, Binu, Ramesan and Anilkumar in a case relating to an attempt on the life of forest officer Sasidharan during the agitation, which the CBI probed.
The Wayanad District and Sessions Court had convicted the four and sentenced them to five years of rigorous imprisonment on July 31.
The four later approached the High Court seeking suspension of their sentence and bail.
The defence counsel argued that the Sessions Court had not conclusively established that the petitioners had committed the offences.
The CBI's standing counsel submitted that the agency was also filing an appeal in the matter to address flaws in the Sessions Court judgment.
The High Court, after considering the judgment, the sentence imposed and the arguments raised by the defence, observed that the appellants had an arguable case.
“Going through the judgment and the period of sentence imposed, at par with the arguments advanced pointing out the innocence of the appellants, the appellants have an arguable case,” the court said.
The court also noted the submission of the Public Prosecutor that the appellants had criminal antecedents but said there was no reason to disallow their applications for suspension of sentence.
The court directed the four to first deposit the entire fine amount imposed by the Sessions Court.
They were also ordered to execute bail bonds of Rs 1 lakh each with two solvent sureties within one week.
The court directed them not to involve themselves in any other criminal activity and said any report of their involvement in another crime could be a ground for cancellation of the bail and suspension of sentence.
The Muthanga agitation was a land rights movement led by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha in 2003, demanding that the then UDF government fulfil its promise to provide land to landless tribal families.
As part of the agitation, hundreds of tribal families entered the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary and set up makeshift shelters, occupying forest land.
The protest turned violent on February 19, 2003, when police and forest officials launched an operation to evict the protesters.
