Malappuram (Kerala) | A court in Manjeri here on Friday found former MLA P V Anvar's nephew guilty in a 1995 murder case involving a Muslim League worker.

Manjeri Additional District and Sessions Judge T V Tellus found Malangadan Shafeek, nephew of former MLA Anvar, guilty under IPC Section 302 (murder).

The court acquitted the other accused — Malangadan Sharif (another nephew of Anvar), Muneeb, and Kabir alias Jabir.

Police had charged the accused under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 447 (criminal trespass), 451 (house trespass), 452 (house trespass after preparation for assault), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (causing hurt with dangerous weapons), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

After the verdict, the court remanded Shafeek to judicial custody and directed that he be produced on Saturday for sentencing.

According to police, Palliparamban Manaf, a Youth League (youth wing of Muslim League) worker, was allegedly beaten and stabbed to death at Othayi near Edavanna on April 13, 1995.

Although Anvar was an accused in the case, he and 21 others were acquitted by the court earlier, police said.

The victim's family has challenged the Additional District and Sessions Court's verdict before the Kerala High Court, and the appeal is pending.

Shafeek, Sharif, Muneeb, and Kabir, who had been absconding, were arrested after the completion of the first phase of the trial, during which Anvar and others were acquitted.

Anvar, who represented the Nilambur Assembly constituency, resigned after parting ways with the LDF earlier this year.

Although he contested the bypoll as a Trinamool Congress candidate, the Congress won the seat.