Ashokan granted bail

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In a setback to the Special Investigation Team probing the TPC murder, the Kerala high court on Friday granted bail to CPM Onchiyam area secretary C.H. Ashokan in a different, yet related case.

This case, registered at Chombala, had referred to an alleged murder conspiracy against T.P. Chandrasekharan in 2009.

“Considering the period of detention and all the facts, Ashokan is granted bail,” said Justice NK Balakrishnan. The court pointed out that though Ashokan was arrested on May 15, 2012, no custodial interrogation was sought by the probe officer during the first period of his remand.

The court dismissed advocate-general K.P. Dandapani's arguments in the case. Dandapani had submitted that the murder conspiracy was hatched in September 2009 from the house of another accused in the case, at Mahe, and also from the Onchiyam area committee office at Nadapuram Road.

Though the objective of that conspiracy could not be achieved then, what the petitioner and the other accused committed was a “criminal conspiracy.” The AG also referred to the speeches made by the accused.

Earlier, the court had granted bail to Ashokan in the TP murder case.

4 more CPM leaders held in TPC murder

The SIT probing the TPC murder took into custody four CPM leaders including Kozhikode district secretariat member C Bhaskaran on Friday.

Others questioned by the team were CPM former Onchiyam area secretary EM Dayanandan, area committee member K.K. Kumaran and Vaikkalassery local committee secretary R Gopalan. The interrogation that started from 2 pm ended by 6.30pm, SIT officials said.

Meanwhile, the Vadakara judicial first class magistrate court ended the police custody of 12 accused including CPM Kozhikode district secretariat member P Mohanan on Friday and remanded them to judicial custody upto July 27.

Meanwhile, the SIT had reportedly ta-ken into custody a BSNL employee from Ernakulam in connection with the leaking of call details of the mobile phone used by DySP Jossy Cheriyan, a SIT member. But SIT officials denied it.

SIT officials are worried over the failure of the advocate general K.P. Dandapani in contesting the bail plea of CH Ashokan. Ashokan was allegedly involved at various phases of the conspiracy, but has been granted bail.