The Additional District and Sessions Court at Manjeri on Friday (November 28) convicted Shafeek Malangadan, 56, for the murder of Youth League worker Manaf Palliparamban, which occurred 30 years ago at Othayi near Edavanna.
Judge A.V. Tellus is scheduled to pronounce the sentence on Saturday (November 29). The court found Shafeek, the first accused, guilty under IPC Section 302 for murder.
However, the court acquitted Shafeek’s brother Shareef, 54, Muneeb Kottapuram, 52, and Kabeer aka Jabir Payyanattuthodi, 52, as the prosecution failed to prove their involvement in the crime.
It was around 11.30 a.m. on April 13, 1995, that Manaf was fatally beaten and stabbed at Othayi bazaar in front of local crowds. P.V. Anvar, former MLA, as well as his father P.V. Shoukathali were among the accused. But Mr. Shoukathali died before the chargesheet was filed.
After the murder, four key accused had fled the country and remained in the Gulf for 25 years. They were brought home to face trial after a prolonged legal battle by Manaf’s family.
Mr. Anvar and 20 others in the case were exonerated by the trial court after the prime witness turned hostile. The victim’s family had raised allegations against special prosecutor C. Sreedharan Nair, who later became Director General of Prosecutions, for the exoneration of Mr. Anvar and others. Mr. Nair was accused of colluding with the defence by neither taking action against the hostile witness nor examining other witnesses to secure a conviction.
A revision petition filed by Manaf’s brother, Abdul Razak, seeking the reversal of the exoneration of Mr. Anvar and 20 others is pending before the High Court.
Manaf’s uncle Aboobacker said they would appeal against the acquittal of the second accused Shareef. Manaf’s siblings Razak, Mansoor, and Rajeena said they were happy that their 30-year-old legal struggle yielded results.
Published – November 28, 2025 09:38 pm IST
