Kasaragod: The Kerala government has granted parole to Anil Kumar, the fourth accused in the Periya double murder case in which Youth Congress workers Kripesh and Sarath Lal were hacked to death on February 17, 2019, due to political rivalry. Parole has been granted for one month with conditions, including a ban on entering Bekal police station limits.

Earlier, nine convicts in the case were shifted from Viyyur jail to Kannur Central Prison. The CBI court had sentenced all nine to double life imprisonment.

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major development, the Board of Governors of the Digital University has passed a resolution against Acting Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas. The resolution was moved by Rajan Varghese, Member Secretary of the Higher Education Council, during a board meeting held yesterday. The move came after Thomas lodged a complaint with the Governor (the Chancellor) against the university’s own company related to the ‘K-Chip’ manufacturing project, without consulting the Board. IT Secretary criticized the VC for staying away from IT policy discussions and even from government-invited meetings, terming her actions as bypassing the university’s top decision-making body.
The Board of Governors includes academic experts, IT industry leaders, IIT representatives, and the IT Secretary, with industry leader Vijay Chandru serving as chairman.

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan has issued a legal notice to businessman B. Shajirshad over the controversial letter leak case. Senior advocate Rajagopalan Nair sent the notice on Govindan’s behalf, accusing Shajirshad of making defamatory remarks. The notice demands that Shajirshad withdraw his allegations within three days and issue a correction through the media. The controversy erupted after a letter Shajirshad had submitted to the CPI(M) Politburo in 2022 resurfaced, triggering a major political storm.

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has stayed the arrest of rapper Vedan in a rape case until his anticipatory bail plea is considered. During the hearing, the court asked how a consensual sexual relationship, as admitted by the complainant, could later be treated as rape. The court observed that every relationship breakdown cannot be classified as rape and that decisions must be based on evidence, not the person’s social status or influence. The court also directed the government to inform if Vedan faced any other cases.

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has granted bail to four more accused in the Palakkad Sreenivasan murder case. Ansar, Bilal, Riyas, and Sahir were granted bail by a division bench led by Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan. The NIA had argued that the accused were members of the Popular Front of India (PFI). Investigations revealed that the murder was a retaliatory act for the killing of PFI leader Subair. Earlier, several accused in the case had already been granted bail by both the High Court and the Supreme Court.