Shuhaib Murder Case: Bail of All 17 Accused Cancelled As Defence Refuses To Cooperate With the Trial

 Thiruvananthapuram: The Thalassery Additional District and Sessions Court-III has revoked the bail of all 17 accused in the brutal murder of Youth Congress worker Mattannur Shuhaib.

The decision came a week after the trial began in the “political murder” case that stirred major unrest in the state. On Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Ruby K Jose ordered the remand of the accused after the defence repeatedly refused to cross-examine eyewitnesses.

The defence accused the judge of being “prejudiced” and requested the trial be moved to another court. The trial, which began on May 18, started eight years after the charge sheet was filed in the killing of 29-year-old Shuhaib, who was murdered on February 12, 2018, at Edayannur in Keezhallur grama panchayat near Mattannur.

All 17 accused, including M V Akash alias Akash Thillankeri, are CPM workers or party affiliates, with others named as Rijin Raj, A Jibin, C S Deepchand, Baiju, T K Askar, K Akhil, K Sanjay, K Rajath, Anwar Sadath, and Sangeeth.

The prosecution claimed that the first five accused—Akash Thillankeri, Rijin Raj, Jibin, Deepchand, and Baiju—were directly involved in the murder, while Askar drove the van used by the attackers. The others allegedly assisted the main accused. Special Public Prosecutor K. Padmanabhan said the case took a turn when the first eyewitness, Riyas, who was also injured in the attack, testified on the opening day of the trial.

Riyas identified the first five accused as the ones who carried out the attack, as well as the clothes they supposedly wore and the weapons used. He was later cross-examined by the defense. The second eyewitness, Noushad, also injured in the incident, gave similar testimony, identifying the same five men, their clothing, and the weapons allegedly used in the assault.

Sensational murder

Shuhaib’s murder sparked a major political storm in Kerala, with the ruling CPM facing intense criticism over alleged involvement in the brutal killing.

Prosecutors say Shuhaib was attacked around 10:30 p.m. on February 12, 2018, as he left a roadside eatery in Edayannur near Mattanur with friends Riyas, Noushad, and Moinudeen. The assailants allegedly arrived in a WagonR, hurled country bombs to spread panic, and then hacked him to death.

On February 27, the Kerala High Court’s single bench ordered a CBI probe after a petition from Shuhaib’s parents. The CPM-led LDF government appealed, and a division bench overturned that order. In September 2024, the Supreme Court refused to intervene, keeping the investigation with Kerala Police. Although the chargesheet was filed on May 14, 2018—within 90 days of the murder—the trial only began on May 18, 2026, more than eight years later.