HC rejects appeal against single judge order for CBI probe in murder case

The Kerala High Court on Friday rejected an appeal against a single bench order directing a CBI probe into a case related to the 2012 murder of an Indian Union Muslim League activist in Kannur district, in which CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan and party MLA T V Rajesh are among the accused.

Rejecting the appeal filed by Jayarajan and Rajesh, a division bench asked CBI to continue all further proceedings in the Ariyil Shukoor murder case.

In its order, the single bench had directed Kerala Police to hand over the investigation to CBI. Following this, CBI had registered an FIR.

Challenging the single bench order, the petitioners had argued that the case does not satisfy criteria adopted by the Supreme Court Constitution bench to hand over an investigation to CBI. They had submitted that local police investigated and filed a charge sheet incorporating offences including Section 302of IPC in the urder case.

They had also contended that the order of the single bench was against the spirit of the Supreme Court judgement.