In a significant development, the Kerala High Court has sent notices to K. Surendran, the former State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and five other individuals. This action comes as part of an appeal lodged by the government, which disputes a Kasaragod sessions court order that had previously acquitted them in an alleged bribery case linked to the 2021 Assembly elections.
The core of the prosecution’s argument centers on accusations that Mr. Surendran and his co-accused attempted to bribe K. Sundara, a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. It is alleged that they offered him ₹2.5 lakh and a smartphone to persuade him to withdraw his nomination from the Manjeswaram Assembly constituency, where Mr. Surendran was also an unsuccessful contender.
The government’s petition asserts that the prior acquittal by the sessions court was unlawful, maintaining that ample evidence exists to warrant a full trial for the serious charges brought against the accused.
Although the sessions court had cleared them in October 2024, the government has now pressed ahead with its appeal after retracting a previously filed review petition. The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for October 30. Earlier, in November 2024, the High Court had requested the complete trial court records in connection with this case when the initial appeal was submitted.