THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief judicial magistrate court, Thiruvananthapuram, has on Wednesday rejected the discharge petition filed by politicians, including education minister V Sivankutty, accused in the assembly ruckus case.
The court accepted the prosecution demand that all persons accused in the infamous case should appear before the court for trial beginning on November 22. The chargesheet will be read out to the accused on the opening day of the trial.
The court rejected the claims of the former MLAs that the visuals submitted before the court as evidence against them were doctored. The court said the visuals can be considered as evidence in the case. Court also refused to admit the claim that the accused persons stayed inside the assembly complex during the previous night of the budget day without any ill motives.
The LDF government’s bid to withdraw the case had faced a setback in the Supreme Court earlier. The SC in July said the LDF MLAs must face prosecution under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and prevention of damages to public property Act for damaging assembly property.
Besides Sivankutty, the other persons accused in the case are former ministers EP Jayarajan, KT Jaleel and former MLAs K Kunjahammad, CK Sadasivan and K Ajith.
The state assembly had witnessed unprecedented scenes on March 13, 2015, as LDF members, then in the opposition, tried to prevent the finance minister KM Mani from presenting the budget. Mani was then facing corruption charges in connection with the bar bribery case.
