Kannur: The Thalassery District Sessions Court on Monday sentenced eight convicts (second accused to ninth accused) to life imprisonment for the murder of BJP activist Elambilayi Sooraj (32), a native of Muzhappilangad. The 11th accused was sentenced to three years in prison. Sooraj was brutally hacked to death in broad daylight on August 7, 2005.

Police had charged 12 people in the case. However, two of the accused, Shamsudeen and Raveendran passed away during the trial. The 10th accused, Nagathankotta Prakasan, was acquitted by the court.

Among those convicted are TP murder case accused TK Rajeesh and his accomplices NV Yogesh, K Shamjith, PM Manoraj, N Sajeevan, and CPM leaders Prabhakaran, KV Padmanabhan, NK Prakasan, and Puthiyapurayil Pradeepan. Manoraj is the brother of the Chief Minister’s press secretary, PM Manoj.

The first six accused in the case were convicted under IPC Sections 143, 147, 148, 302, 120B, and the Arms Act for rioting, unlawful assembly, and murder. CPM leaders Prabhakaran Master, Radhakrishnan, and Padmanabhan—listed as the 7th, 8th, and 9th accused—were convicted on conspiracy charges. Pradeepan, the 11th accused, was found guilty of providing asylum to the first accused.

It is alleged that the CPM plotted the murder after Sooraj, a former party worker, joined the BJP. A key breakthrough in the case came when Rajeesh confessed during the trial of the TP Chandrasekharan murder case, leading police to reopen the investigation and trace the culprits. Initially, only Rajeesh and Manoraj were booked, but further investigation revealed the involvement of others.