Kasaragod: The CPM has launched a fresh fund collection drive among its members to continue the legal battle in the Periya double murder case, in which several party leaders were sentenced by a special CBI court recently. The party had earlier carried out a massive drive in November-December 2021 to collect funds for the legal procedures in the case. The first drive was also limited to party members.

In the latest drive, each party member has been directed to contribute a minimum amount of Rs 500. At the same time, employees of cooperative institutions controlled by the CPM have to donate a day’s salary. With 28,970 party members in Kasaragod district, the CPM is expected to collect at least Rs 1.40 crore when each member contributes the minimum amount of Rs 500. Additionally, the one-day salary of cooperative employees would take the total to over Rs 2 crore.

The money is being collected by fixing branch-wise quotas, and the district committee has directed the area committees to submit the amount by January 20.

The special CBI court in Kochi on December 28, 2024, sentenced 10 of the accused persons in the murder case of Youth Congress activists Sarathlal PK and Kripesh of Kallyott in Periya to life imprisonment. The court also sentenced four CPM leaders to five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 each for forcibly releasing the second accused, Saji C George, from police custody.

The sentenced party leaders include former MLA K V Kunhiraman, district committee member K Manikandan, Uduma area committee member K V Bhaskaran and Pakkom former local secretary Raghavan Velutholy. The four leaders were later granted bail after the High Court suspended their sentence.