Kochi, Feb 20 (IANS): A day after the ruling CPI-M suffered a setback as the Kerala High Court upheld the conviction of 12 persons in the 2012 murder of former party leader T.P. Chandrasekharan, senior Congress leaders on Tuesday alleged that the crime took place with the blessings and the knowledge of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

State Congress President and Kannur MP K.Sudhakaran noted that when the murder took place, Vijayan was the state CPI-M Secretary.

"The crime took place in Kozhikode district and many of the accused are from Kannur. All who know the way the CPI-M functions, knows that such a thing will never ever take place without the knowledge of the party leaders at the highest level. Vijayan knows everything about it," he claimed.

Veteran Congress legislator Ramesh Chennithala said when the probe was going forward, he was the Home Minister and despite the best efforts, some call records from mobile service providers were not received pertaining to this case.

"Had the probe team got it, the probe would have reached the (CPI-M) top brass. I can say without doubt that this crime had the support and the blessings of Vijayan, who was the then party Secretary. All along the CPI-M claimed they had no role but in the latest High Court orders, two CPI-M leaders who were exonerated by the trial court have now been named as accused," he said.

Popularly known as TP, Chandrasekharan, according to his now legislator wife K.K. Rema was "eliminated with the blessings of the top party brass for asking questions in the party".

TP, after breaking away from the CPI-M, had founded the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP).

Rema contested the 2021 Assembly polls from RMP with the support of the Congress-led UDF.

The High Court on Monday while rejecting the appeals filed by the convicts (one of whom passed away during the pendency of the appeal) also additionally convicted two more persons who had been acquitted by the trial court.

The court has now asked the nine presently serving sentences and the two, who have now been included as convicts, to be present in the court on September 26.

The two, K.K. Krishnan and Jyothi Babu, are both CPI-M leaders.

A trial court had convicted 12 of the 36 persons accused on May 4, 2012. However, the trial court had also acquitted several accused, including prominent CPI-M activists like Kozhikode district secretariat member P. Mohanan as well as area and local committee members Krishnan and Babu.

The 12 persons convicted were sentenced to life imprisonment by the special court. The verdict was challenged by the convicts before the High Court, which was dismissed.

The Congress leadership has now announced they will be fully with Rema when she approaches the Supreme Court as she has decided to unravel the conspiracy part in the case.