Alappuzha (Kerala) | A court here on Saturday reserved its order on the anticipatory bail petitions filed by three gunmen of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a case relating to the assault on Youth Congress workers during the Nava Kerala Sadas programme in December 2023.

After the UDF came to power, Chief Minister V D Satheesan, following the first Cabinet meeting, announced the appointment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident in which two persons, including current Alappuzha MLA A D Thomas, were injured.

Following the development, Anil Kumar S, Sandeep S, Shaiju V K, Arun R and Vipin V V approached the Alappuzha District and Principal Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail.

Alappuzha District cum Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese heard the prosecution and the counsel for the accused on Saturday.

The court also viewed videos related to the alleged assault on Youth Congress workers, including footage recorded by a police photographer and videos captured by witnesses at the scene.

The prosecution submitted that the offence of attempt to commit culpable homicide had been added against the accused.

The defence objected to the inclusion of the additional charge and argued that the accused were performing their official duties at the time of the incident.

After detailed arguments, the court reserved its order for June 9.

Following the incident in 2023, CPI(M) leaders had claimed that the Youth Congress workers were restrained in the interest of the security of then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other ministers travelling in a bus as part of the Nava Kerala Sadas programme in Alappuzha.

According to the prosecution's case, Youth Congress workers were staging a black-flag protest when the gunmen allegedly approached and assaulted them with sticks.