In response to a plea seeking compensation for Naxal leader Varghese’s death, the Kerala government told the High court that he was a hardcore criminal.
The home department made the submission in an affidavit filed on July 22, 2016. The affidavit was filed in response to a writ petition filed by brothers and sisters of Varghese seeking compensation.It said that Varaghese tried to attack the police and was shot dead by cops in an encounter in Thirunelli forest.
The affidavit said, "Neither the CBI nor the Special Court could find any reason to deny the fact that Varghese was a notorious criminal involved in murder and dacoit cases in the Wayanad area,” reports The Hindu.Police officer Lakshmana was sentenced for life imprisonment for plotting the fake encounter to kill Varghese. Many believe that the submission by the government could create ripples in the ruling Left Democratic Front for the Left's known stand of not hunting the Naxals and not considering them as criminals. The CPI is apparently irked by the new development.
However it’s believed that the affidavit could have been prepared during the previous United Democratic Front government’s time. The CBI took over the investigation into Varghese’s death on a directive from the High Court in 1999. The probe was ordered following revelations by a former police constable P Ramachandran Nair. He had revealed that he shot dead Varghese on the orders of then Superintendent of Police Vijayan and Deputy Superintendent of Police Lakshmana in 1970.
A CBI special court in 2010 awarded life imprisonment to Lakshmana. He was later given remission by the state.