All seven accused of Happy Rajesh murder let off

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All the seven accused, including a police officer, in the murder of Rajesh alias Happy Rajesh at Kollam in 2011 were acquitted by the CBI special court here on Thursday. Rajesh was allegedly involved in the murder attempt on journalist V. B. Unnithan and the prosecution’s case was that he was murdered to destroy evidence in the Unnithan murder attempt case in which police officers were also accused. The court maintained that the prosecution failed to prove beyond doubt the charges against the accused.

DySP M. Santosh Nair, who is now under suspension, was the seventh accused in the case. The other accused were Prakash alias Vettukuttan, Edwin, Suryadas, Nidhin, Krishnakumar and Santosh alias Container Santosh. Seventy-nine witnesses were examined by the court. Many prosecution witnesses turned hostile during the trial. Some witness even earlier complained of facing threats from the accused.

Advocate Vineeth Kumar, who appeared for Santosh Nair, said that the conspiracy alleged against the accused could not be established by the prosecution and hence the court acquitted the accused. CBI sources said that the scope of filing an appeal would be explored. CBI special judge Johny Sebastian delivered the judgment. Rajesh, a native of Uliyakovil in Kollam, was found dead in his autorickshaw near Victoria Hospital in Kollam on April 28, within two weeks of the attack on Unnithan.