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Kasaragod: A court here on Saturday acquitted three RSS activists in a case relating to the murder of a Madrassa teacher inside a mosque in the district in 2017.
Kasaragod Principal Sessions court judge K K Balakrishnan acquitted Akhilesh, Jithin and Ajesh, all residents of Kelugude, in the case. The accused spent seven years in jail without bail.
Thirty four-year old Mohammed Riyas Maulavi, a muezzin (person who proclaims the Islamic call to prayer) and madrassa teacher from nearby Choori was found murdered in his room in the mosque on March 20, 2017. His throat was allegedly slit by a gang which had entered the compound of Muhayuddin Juma masjid of Choori.
Meanwhile, the prosecution expressed disappointment over the verdict and said they would appeal against the order. "There was strong evidence in the case. Maulavi's blood was found on the clothes of one of the accused. A piece of fabric belonging to Maulavi was found on the knife used by the accused. We had submitted all the evidence. We are waiting for the detailed judgement to move an appeal," special public prosecutor C Shukkur told PTI.
The court examined 97 witnesses, 215 documents and 45 material evidence in the case in which the chargesheet was filed within 90 days.
Wife of Maulavi, who was present in the court, broke down before the media and said the order was 'disappointing'. The victim's family members said they never expected this judgment in the matter.
"In this case, the courts did not even grant bail to the accused for the past seven years. The accused were not connected with Maulavi in any manner. Even the police charge sheet clearly mentions that the crime was an attempt to create communal unrest in the region," the relatives told reporters.
The charge sheet and the remand report said that the accused were trying to foment create communal unrest in the region.