On February 17, 2019, Kripesh and Sarathlal - two active and popular Youth Congress workers - were brutally hacked to death at Kalliyot near Kasaragod's Periya, during the build-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Almost 6 years later, 14 of the 24 accused were convicted and sentenced by a CBI special court. Here's a lineup of the events that took place.

February 17, 2019: Youth Congress workers Kripesh (21) and Sarathlal PK (23) brutally hacked to death at Kalliyot near Periya, Kasaragod by CPM workers. 

February 17, 2019: Bekal Police registered an FIR under Section 302 of the IPC for murder.

February 18, 2019:  The District Crime Branch, Kasaragod, took over the investigation.

February 25, 2019: The State Crime Branch, Malappuram Unit, assumed responsibility for the investigation.

May 2019: The State Crime Branch filed a charge sheet against 14 accused before the Judicial First Class Magistrate’s Court, Hosdurg. Families of the deceased alleged flaws in the investigation.

September 30, 2019: Kerala High Court quashed the Crime Branch’s charge sheet and directed the CBI to take over the case. Justice B Sudheendra Kumar highlighted lapses, including the non-questioning of key witnesses and preconceived acceptance of the accused's version.

August 25, 2020: A Division Bench of the High Court restored the Crime Branch’s charge sheet but ordered the CBI to conduct further investigation

 The state government’s subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed. The Kerala government opposed the CBI probe and spent over Rs 3 crore to contest it in courts. Despite this, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision to transfer the investigation to the CBI on December 1, 2020

December 10, 2020: Kerala Police handed over the case diary and documents to the CBI nearly two years after the murders.

December 3, 2021: The CBI filed a charge sheet  naming 24 accused, including senior CPM leaders. It criticised the earlier police investigation for naming certain accused as prosecution witnesses. 

December 1, 2022: The trial commenced at the special CBI court in Ernakulam. Sixteen of the 24 accused remained in custody throughout the trial. Applications for bail were consistently rejected. The trial spanned over a period of 20 months, during which the prosecution presented 154 witnesses, 495 documents and 85 exhibits. 

Key findings and allegations

Planning and execution: According to the CBI, the murders were meticulously planned. Accused no. 1 to 9 and others met at Echiladukkam bus stop to plot the attack. On February 17, 2019, Kripesh and Sarathlal were attacked while returning from a temple committee meeting.

Evidence tampering: The CBI alleged that senior CPM leaders, including local secretary Balakrishnan N and Kanhangad Block Panchayat President K Manikandan, sheltered the accused and destroyed evidence, including blood-stained clothes.

Role of top CPM Leaders: Former MLA K V Kunhiraman (A20) and others were accused of forcibly rescuing one of the accused from police custody.

December 28, 2024: The special CBI court in Ernakulam convicts 14 accused and acquits 10. 

January 3, 2025: CBI Special Court Judge Seshadrinathan sentences 10 CPM workers to double life imprisonment for the murder and conspiracy in the killings. The court also handed five-year prison terms to former CPM former MLA K V Kunhiraman, Kanhangad Block Panchayat president K Manikandan, and two others for aiding the escape of the second accused, Saji C George, from police custody.