Thiruvananthapuram: A special CBI court here has sentenced seven CPM workers to double life sentences for the murder of Congress leader Nettayam Ramabhadran. The brutal murder occurred in front of Ramabhadran's wife and children in Eroor, Anchal in 2010.

Pronouncing the quantum of punishment, the court also awarded life imprisonment to five other accused. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 56 lakh, with Rs 50 lakh to be paid to the victim's family.

In announcing the sentences, the court awarded double life-terms to P Shibu, V Vimal, S Sudheesh, Shan, S Ratheesh, A Biju, and G Renjith, who were accused numbers 5 to 11 in the charge sheet. These individuals were found to have directly participated in the crime. They were also fined Rs 5 lakh each.

The first accused, C Gireesh Kumar, third accused, T Afsal, fourth accused, Najmal Hussain, 12^th accused, Sali alias Kochiunni, and 13^th accused, Riyas alias Muneer, were also sentenced to life imprisonment. While they were not directly involved in the murder, they were part of the conspiracy. They, too, were fined Rs. 5 lakh each.

Meanwhile, the 16^th and 17^th accused, ward member P S Suman and CPM District Committee member Babu Panicker, were sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 2 lakh each. The court ordered that Rs 50 lakh from the collected fines be paid to the victim’s wife, Bindu, and daughters, Athira and Arya.

During the hearing, the prosecution argued for the death penalty, emphasising that only a model punishment could deter such political murders. The CBI prosecutor also highlighted the heinous nature of the crime, carried out in front of the victim’s wife and minor daughters, describing it as one of the rarest of rare cases.

Previously, the court had held 14 individuals guilty of murdering Ramabhadran and acquitted four others, including CPM District Secretariat member Jayamohan. They were charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 27 (for using arms), 506 (criminal intimidation),341 (wrongful restraint) and 324 (causing grievous hurt using a weapon).

J Padman, a member of the CPM Anchal Area Committee and the second accused, was found dead, having hanged himself, while the 20^th accused, Raveendaran, died during the trial. P S Suman, another accused, left the CPM to join the BJP.

Nettayam Ramabhadran, an INTUC leader, was murdered on April 10, 2010. The assailants stormed into his house while he was having dinner and killed him despite his family's pleas for mercy.

Initially investigated by local police and the crime branch, the case was transferred to the CBI after Ramabhadran's wife approached the High Court, citing serious lapses in police investigation.