Kochi: Rupesh, the first accused in the Wayanad Vellamunda Maoist case, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. The other accused in the case, Kanyakumari and Ibrahim alias Babu, have been sentenced to six years in prison, while Anoop Mathew has been sentenced to eight years. The NIA court in Kochi gave the sentence.
Sections including UAPA were charged against the four persons. Rupesh and Kanyakumari were charged with conspiracy and under the Arms Act. The case is that civil police officer Pramod barged into the house of Wayanad Vellamunda and threatened his mother with a gun. First the local police investigated and then the case was handed over to the NIA.
Rupesh had told the court that it was unfortunate that he had been punished. He has not been charged with harming anyone. The pamphlets covered the protection of the Western Ghats and the rights of the marginalized. Rupesh had also stated in the court that usually the case is alleged for things that do not even exist.
