Kerala Assembly: UDF disrupts proceedings over ‘remission’ of convicts in T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case
Congress-led UDF protests after Speaker denies Opposition’s notice for emergency debate on alleged political conspiracy to grant remission of life sentences slapped on convicts in murder of RMP founder T.P. Chandrasekharan
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) disrupted the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 25 after Speaker A.N. Shamseer denied the Opposition’s notice for an emergency debate on the alleged political conspiracy to grant remission of life sentences slapped on “hired killers” convicted for the assassination of CPI(M) rebel and Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) founder T.P. Chandrasekharan at Onchiyam in Kozhikode in 2012.
Chandrasekharan’s wife and RMP legislator from the Vadakara Assembly constituency, K.K. Rema, set the stage for the strained showdown between Treasury and Opposition benches during Zero Hour by giving notice for an emergency debate on the “barefaced” attempt to release her husband’s killers despite the Kerala High Court recently expanding their sentence to two life terms without the scope of parole for 20 years.
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Mr. Shamseer denied discussion on Ms. Rema’s notice by stating that the government had not contemplated such a move and that the convicts would serve their sentence period.
UDF legislators protesting outside the Kerala Assembly chamber on June 25.
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Special Arrangement
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan attempted to entangle Mr. Shamseer in a back-and-forth by accusing the Chair of committing an egregious breach of parliamentary etiquette by endeavouring to reply for the government.
“The government had set the sentence remission process in fast motion. Denying it is a barefaced lie and challenge to the rule of law”, he said.
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Mr. Shamseer said he could not allow further discussion on the subject and moved on to the next item on the list of business.
Speaker’s dais mobbed
Angered Opposition legislators trooped to the well of the House and mobbed the Speaker’s dais. Many held accusatory placards blocking the Chair’s view of the Assembly.
Mr. Shamseer hurried through the day’s business even as Opposition sloganeering reached a high pitch, drowning out Treasury Bench voices. He adjourned the House for the day.
Later, speaking to journalists in the Assembly’s media room, Mr. Satheesan alleged that “the apex-level conspiracy” to repeal the sentence was a long and drawn-out process that commenced in 2018.
Mr. Satheesan said the government first discreetly diluted the provision that limits the scope of parole for political murder case convicts.
Soon after the Election Commission withdrew the Model Code of Conduct in June, Mr. Satheesan said the government arm-twisted the Prisons department into inserting the names of Chandrasekharan case convicts in the list of lifers eligible for revocation of sentence.
Mr. Satheesan said the Prisons department gave the convicts “favourable conduct certificates” to accelerate the abrogation of their sentences.
He said the department also dispatched an express letter to the police seeking information about Ms. Rema’s disposition to granting remission of sentence for her husband’s killers. The police recorded Ms. Rema’s statement as part of the remission procedure.
Mr. Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of shying away from Ms. Rema’s notice. He said Mr. Vijayan turned tail and ran for political cover in the face of a determined Opposition battling to uphold the rule of law.
“The Chief Minister flinched from replying to the notice moved by Chandrasekharan’s wife,” he added.
CPI(M) scared: Satheesan
Mr. Satheesan said the CPI(M) was “mortally scared” that the assassins they hired to kill Chandrasekharan would spill beans about “the leader or leaders who plotted and sanctioned the vile crime.” Hence, the government and the party have walked the extra mile to “keep the murderers in good humour.”
Mr. Satheesan said the government gave the convicts parole liberally. While on parole, the convicts got involved in other crimes, including illegal possession of firearms, extortion, running protection rackets and ambushing gold smugglers and hawala agents for treasure.
He said the “assassins received red-carpet treatment” in Central Prison, Kannur. “They can access home-cooked meals and hotel fare and decide the prison menu. Wardens look the other way when the convicts use mobile phones to control their gangs outside and orchestrate crime from inside the prison walls. One of them regularly peddled ganja in the prison, clocking a profit of nearly ₹50,000 or more a month,” he added.
Ms. Rema noted that the convicts and their backers still posed a clear and present threat to those who had given evidence against them in the murder case trial.
Rema to petition Governor
She said she would petition Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan against the move to release her husband’s killers. Ms. Rema said she would also move the Kerala High Court, accusing the government of holding the judiciary in contempt.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader P.K. Kunhalikutty, MLA, said the UDF would take to the streets if the Chandrasekharan case convicts were released.
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