Kochi | The Kerala High Court on Monday acquitted nine members of the NDF who were earlier convicted by a district court in Kannur in connection with the murder of a CPI(M) leader.
The National Development Front is claimed to have later evolved into the Popular Front of India (PFI), which was subsequently banned by the Union government for its alleged anti-national activities.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian set aside the life sentences imposed by the Thalassery Additional District Court-III and acquitted all the accused in the case relating to the murder of CPI(M) branch secretary Naroth Dileep at Vilakkode Chakkad in Kannur district in 2008.
Those acquitted are P K Latheef, U K Siddique, U K Faisal, V K Unais, P P Faisal, Mohammed Basheer, Yakub, P K Mohammed Farooq and Paneri Abdul Gafur.
The trial court had found the accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment in the case relating to the murder of Naroth Dileep, who was hacked to death on August 24, 2008.
Allowing the appeals, the High Court set aside the conviction and sentences imposed by the trial court and ordered the acquittal of all nine accused.
"In the present case, on an overall appreciation of the evidence adduced by the prosecution, this court finds that there is no convincing or trustworthy evidence to establish the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the serious lapses in the investigation cannot be brushed aside as inconsequential," the court observed.
