Kerala HC trashes plea seeking CBI probe into killing of RSS men

The Kerala High Court today dismissed a plea seeking a CBI probe into seven cases of alleged political killings of RSS-BJP activists that took place after the CPI(M)-led dispensation came to power in the state last year.

Dismissing the petition filed by the Thalassery-based Gopalan Adiyodi Vakkeel Smaraka Trust, a bench comprising Chief Justice Antony Dominic and Dama Seshadri Naidu found there was no public interest in the plea and the petitioner approached the high court with political motive.

Even the relatives of the deceased persons have no complaints that there were lapses in the investigation, the court said.

Opposing the plea, the Kerala government had told the high court that there was no need for a CBI probe into the cases and argued that the plea was politically motivated.

It had handed over a progress report of the investigation to the court.

In the judgement, the high court said the petitioner had no sufficient material to substantiate their allegations.

The high court also observed that maintenance of law and order is a state subject and only in rare cases the CBI probe is directed.

Ordering a CBI probe in all cases is against the principles of federal state, the court said.

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 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.