In a landmark judgment, all four accused in the fatal stabbing of C.A. Mohammad Haji, 56, near Adkatbaial Bilal mosque in Kasaragod were sentenced to life imprisonment by the District Additional Sessions Court (2) on Thursday.
The accused, Baje Santhosh, 36, K. Sivaprasad alias Sivan, 40, K. Ajit Kumar alias Ajju, 35, and K.G. Kishore Kumar alias Kishore, 39, were also ordered to pay a fine of โน1 lakh each.
The judgment, delivered by Judge K. Priya, comes more than 16 years after the murder, which took place on April 18, 2008. On that day, Mohammad Haji, the president of Adkatbaial Bilal Masjid, was on his way to Jumuโah prayer along Gudde Temple Road with his son Shihab when he was brutally attacked. The incident occurred during a period of heightened communal tension in Kasaragod, which saw four people getting killed in consecutive days.
The conviction comes after a protracted legal battle, with nine out of the 11 related cases ending in acquittals owing to insufficient evidence. The verdict in the C.A. Mohammad Haji murder case, after 30 years, is considered a significant achievement for law enforcement, particularly for Kasaragod ASP Balakrishnan Nair, who investigated the case while serving as Vellarikund circle inspector at that time.
The prosecution, led by special prosecutors C.K. Sreedharan and K.P. Pradeep Kumar, successfully argued that the accused were guilty under Sections 341 and 302 read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code. Under Section 302 read with 34, the punishment is life imprisonment and a fine of โน1 lakh, while Section 341 provides for three months of rigorous imprisonment. The court clarified that the life sentences would not be reduced by the remand period served by the accused.
Notably, the defence was initially represented by former BJP State president and present Governor of Goa P.S. Sreedharan Pillai. Following his gubernatorial appointment, his junior took over the case.
