Congress worker murder: Kerala CPI(M)'s R Baiju gets death sentence

A fast-track court on Saturday sentenced a former local secretary of the CPI(M) to death and awarded life imprisonment to five others for the murder of a Congress worker at Chertala in 2009.

The Alapuzha Fast Track Court Judge, Anil Kumar, pronounced the verdict this morning.

The court found that R Baiju was the main conspirator in the case and awarded the death sentence to him.

The prosecution case was that Baiju and the others went to the residence of Divakaran on December 9, 2009, to sell a coir product as part of the then Left government's scheme to promote such products.

However, Divakaran refused to buy them, saying they were priced too high, leading to a heated argument.

He was then hit on the head and suffered serious injuries.

He succumbed at a hospital after a week.