Kasaragod (Kerala), Jan 3 (Reporter) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court in Ernakulam on Friday sentenced 10 CPI(M) workers to double life imprisonment in connection with the brutal twin murder case, in which two Youth Congress workers were hacked to death at Periya in this district in 2019. The Court also sentenced four CPI(M) district leaders to five years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) in the case. CBI Special Court Judge Seshadrinathan also slapped a fine of Rs one lakh each on the 10 accused (accused number 1 to 8, 10 and 15) ,who was sentenced to double life imprisonment and Rs 10,000 each on four accused, who got Rigorous Umprisonment for five years. The fine amount would be given to the kin of the victim's family. The court convicted 14 persons out of the 24 arrested in the case and acquitted 10 persons due to the lack of evidence on December 28. The court found guilty against the first 8 accused under various sections including 302 (murder), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of IPC who are directly involved. They are A Peethambaran (former CPI(M) Periya local committee member), Saji C George, K M Suresh, K Anilkumar, G Gijin, R Sreerag, A Ashwin, A Subheesh. While the accused number 10 T Ranjith and no 15 A Surendran were convicted under section 201 (destruction of evidence) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy). The four CPI(M) leaders sentenced to five years RI are former Uduma MLA and CPI(M) district secretariat member K V Kunhiraman (accused no 20), Former Uduma CPI(M) area secretary and Kanhangad block panchayat president K Manikandan (accused no 14) , Former Pakkam CPI(M) local secretary Raghavan Veluthloy (accused No 21) and K V Bhaskaran Velutholy (accused No 22). The CPI(M) local leaders were found guilty for forcibly rescuing Saji George (murder accused number 2) from Bekal police custody and charged under section 225 of IPC. The court also ruled out the bail of the four CPI(M) leaders and ordered them to be sent to jail. The trial of the case commenced in February 2023 and as part of the trial 154 witnesses, 495 documents and 83 material objects were examined. It was on February 17, 2019, around 1945 hours, Youth Congress workers Sarath Lal (24) and Kripesh (21) of Kalliot near Periya were brutally hacked to death, by eight member CPI(M) gang after they waylaid them while returning home. The case was initially investigated by the local police and later by the District Crime Branch. The CBI took over the case after the parents of the victims approached Kerala High Court and the single bench approved it in September 2019 . Following this, the government filed an appeal before the Supreme Court , but dismissed the appeal on December 1, 2019. The CBI sleuths filed a chargesheet on December 3, 2021 and the trial began in February 2023. Police security have been beefed up by deploying 160 police personnel under two Deputy Superintendents of Police at Kalliot and Periya, including at the victims memorials area to avoid tension in Kasaragod district today. The mothers of the two victims, Congress and Youth Congress workers assembled at Memorial area in Kalliot and shouted slogans praising CBI. Both fathers of the victims and sisters were present at the CBI court and the family members expressed their disappointment with the court verdict and said they would file an appeal in the higher court to enhance the punishment given to the accused, including the four CPI(M) leaders, after discussing with the Congress leaders...////...