Kannur ∙ Four CPM leaders, including former MLA KV Kunhiraman, Raghavan Velutholi, K Manikandan, and KV Bhaskaran, were released from the Kannur Central Jail on Thursday after their conviction by the CBI special court for the forcible rescue of an accused in Periya double murder case was suspended by the High Court. They were released after the court official delivered the division bench’s order to the Central Jail authorities. P Jayarajan and M V Jayarajan were among the top CPM leaders who received the accused outside.

"A fortress of lies has crumbled with the High Court's decision. The HC's decision has reinforced our faith in the justice system. The party and its supporters have been with us and our family during this time. There was no conspiracy involved. Our names were added since we were party leaders," Kunhiraman said following his release.

"The CBI was part of a political agenda which aimed at portraying CPM as a party of murderers. The LDF government was against giving this case to the CBI from the beginning. The Crime Branch had conducted a proper investigation and submitted the list of accused. The CBI wanted to strike down this report. It added the names of CPM leaders to the list of accused later. The Division Bench's decision proves that this strategy failed," P Jayarajan told media.

 The CBI special court had sentenced them to five years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

Meanwhile, CPM central committee member PK Sreemathi and former district panchayat president PP Divya visited the accused in jail. Sreemathi stated that the visit was made on humanitarian grounds and expressed hope that the higher court would deliver justice to KV Kunhiraman and the others.