Kochi, Tuesday, June 14, 2011: The Kerala High Court today upheld the life term imprisonment awarded to IG Lakshmana in connection with the murder of Naxal leader Varghese. The Court also upheld the ruling which acquitted former DGP Vijayan, by giving the benefit of doubt.

The order was issued by Bench comprising of Justices Thottathil Radhakrishnan and SS Satheesh Chandran.

Earlier report

Forty years after the brutal killing of Naxal leader, A Varghese, CBI Special Court convicted former IG K Lakshmana in the case while acquitting former DGP P Vijayan giving him the benefit of doubt.

Varghese was gunned downed by police in cold blood in the Tirunelli forests in Wayanad on February 18, 1970 and it was described as ˜encounter” death. Delivering the judgment, CBI Special court judge S Vijay Kumar said the first accused in the case, late CRPF constable P Ramachandran Nair had committed the act of murder on the command of Lakshmana, the second accused, who was then DYSP.

The judge convicted Lakshmana of the offence under sect 302 read with sect 34 of IPC and acquitted P Vijayan former DGP of the offence by conferring benefit of doubt. Lakshmana and Vijayan, who came in a wheel chair, were present in the court.

Immediately after the verdict, Lakshmana, who is in his eighties, has been taken to the sub court, Ernakulam. Eighty-three year-old Vijayan, who was SP Kozhikode when the incident occurred, told reporters he was happy with the verdict.

The case received wide media attention a few years ago after Ramachandran Nair confessed in 1998 that he had shot Varghese at the behest of his superior officers Vijayan and Lakshmana.