Kochi : The High Court on Friday acquitted three accused in the Anchery Baby murder case, including former minister MM Mani. The verdict came upon appeal urging acquittal. The Thodupuzha sessions court had rjected the plea earlier.
Backdrop
INTUC leader Anchery Babu was shot dead on Nov 13, 1982. In 1988, the court acquitted all nine accused after finding no evidence of their involvment.
Then in a strange twist, a speech by MM Mani on 25 May, 2012, ran into controversy and then-ruling UDF interpreted jocular references of its content as pointers to Anchery murder.
A fresh case, with no grounds to speak of, was filed the second time anyway. The case arraigned MM Mani as second accused. Others were : former CPI(M) District Secretariat member OG Madan and AK Damodaran.
The police also arrested MM Mani after chargesheeting him. Today’s verdict quells the case - framed by Congress largely to gain political mileage as it faced rough weather from its fragile coalition at the time.
