Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala government announced on Thursday that three prison officers who prepared the remission list had been suspended, two days after the Congress-led Opposition blasted CM Pinarayi Vijayan and his Home Department for their alleged plans to grant remission to three CPI(M) workers serving life sentences for the murder of TP Chandrasekharan.

The Speaker of the Kerala Assembly, AN Shamseer, was criticized on Tuesday by the Congress-led Opposition for hastily adjourning the House and shielding CM Vijayan from inquiries about CM Vijayan’s proposals for remission to the murders of TP Chandrasekharan.

The announcement from CM Vijayan’s office on Thursday, shortly before Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan brought up the matter in the Assembly, was that three senior Kannur Jail officials, who processed the remission applications and included the names of the three prisoners (TK Rejeesh, Mohammed Shafi, and Annan Sreejith), had been suspended.

 The Speaker and the administration have maintained that the claims of remission are unfounded. Three officials are currently on suspension. If it was just conjecture, would anything like this occur? People are using officials as scapegoats. According to Satheesan, the CPI(M) is making every effort to save its members.

Legislator KK Rema, the spouse of TP Chandrasekharan, received a call from the police last night requesting her thoughts on the guidelines for granting remission to another accused man, Manoj, who is also on the list. Satheesan questioned, How come the police are calling when the government and the Speaker said it’s just speculation? he asked.