Thodupuzha (Ker): A local court on Monday rejected the bail plea of senior CPI(M) leader MM Mani, arrested in connection with a three-decade-old political murder case which was re-opened in the wake of a controversial speech made by him.
District judge K Ramakrishnan turned down Mani`s plea on the ground that the investigation was in the preliminary phase and granting bail at this juncture could affect its course.
Mani`s counsels, however, said the arrest of Mani were illegal.
The prosecution held that Mani was an an influential political leader and could influence the probe if he was granted bail.
Mani was arrested and remanded to judicial custody on Nov 21 and sent to the sub-jail in Peerumade in Idukki district after he refused to comply with the police notice to appear for a polygraph test in the case.
He will be produced in court tomorrow on expiry of his remand period.
Mani had sparked a raging row, which put CPI(M) on the defensive, by stating his party had in the past drawn up a list of some political foes to be eliminated and executed it.
Following this, police registered a criminal case against him and two other party activists by re-opening the murder of INTUC activist Anjery Baby 30 years ago.
Mani`s revelation came at a time when CPI(M) was under a cloud following the brutal murder of CPI-M rebel leader T P Chandrasekharan at Onjiyam in Vatakara.
But the central and state leadership has repeatedly asserted that physical elimination of rivals has never been its policy.
His speech had been roundly condemned by various political parties and forced the CPI(M) to remove him from the powerful post of district secretary and suspend him from the state committee.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.