CBI probe into death of BJP workers not needed: Kerala govt

The Kerala government today told the high court there was no need for a CBI probe into the seven cases of alleged political killings of RSS-BJP activists that took place after the CPI(M)-led dispensation came to power last year.
Responding to a petition filed by the Thalassery-based Gopalan Adiyodi Vakkeel Smaraka Trust seeking a CBI probe into the cases, the state government said the plea was politically motivated.
It handed over a progress report of the investigation to a division bench of Chief Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh and Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan.
The bench had on October 17 directed the state government to spell out its stand on the demand for a CBI probe.

The government today claimed that the conviction rate was higher in cases probed by state police than those investigated by the CBI.
The bench adjourned the hearing in the case to November 13.

The Trust had submitted that in all these cases active workers of a major outfit, part of the ruling front, have been named as accused. It had also alleged that in some cases, party activists hailing from the constituency of the chief minister, who also holds the home ministry portfolio, were involved.
"In all these cases, facts and circumstances clearly indicate high-level political conspiracy in planned execution of the killings and efforts to save the real culprits," the petitioner had contended.

The Trust had alleged that the police did not properly investigate the conspiracy angle in these cases.