Kochi: Congress leaders Shafi Parambil and VT Balram launched a scathing attack against veteran criminal lawyer CK Sreedharan, who represented nine of the 24 accused in the Periya double murder case. On Saturday, a special CBI court in Kochi convicted 14 individuals in the case.

Sreedharan, a former state vice president of the Congress party in Kerala, defended the accused in the murder of Youth Congress leaders Kripesh and Sarathlal after joining the CPM in November 2022. He represented nine accused, including senior CPM figures such as former Udma MLA K V Kunhiraman and K Manikandan. However, eight of the accused were convicted.

Shafi Parambil criticised Sreedharan while also attacking the ruling CPM for spending crores of rupees from the state exchequer to block a CBI investigation into the case. The state government had engaged top Supreme Court lawyers to challenge the victims' families' plea to transfer the investigation from the state police to the CBI. Official figures estimated the court expenses to be around Rs 1 crore, but the CBI prosecution team informed Onmanorama that the actual amount was closer to Rs 3 crore. Shafi accused the CPM of using every tactic to deny justice to the victims and of assigning Sreedharan to defend the accused immediately after he switched political allegiance.

"The CPM has stooped so low that it appointed the same person, who had previously consoled and promised the victims' families that he would secure the death penalty for the killers, to argue for the accused. The saddest part is that Sreedharan was willing to cross-examine the families of Kripesh and Sarathlal, including their mothers and sisters, whom he had earlier comforted," Shafi said.

Balram's criticism was even more severe. He labelled Sreedharan a "wretched man," stating, "Initially, he stood with the victims and promised them justice. He examined all the documents and evidence against the accused, pretending to study them. Then, without any shame, he switched sides and chose to represent the accused for money. Today's court order is a verdict against this traitor, who doesn't even deserve to be called a human," Balram wrote on social media, alongside a photo of Sreedharan.