Kochi, Jun 28 (IANS): The Kerala High Court Thursday refused to quash a FIR registered against a CPI-M leader for a speech justifying murders, and asked police to go ahead with its investigation.

Dismissing M.M. Mani's petition, Justice S.S. Sateeshachandran condemned his speech and said his comments had shocked the society.

He observed that speeches like these could kill democracy. The court also saw a video of the speech before coming out with the verdict.

A former Idukki district secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Mani had at a May 25 public meeting claimed that his party had killed four critics. Police immediately slapped a case against him.

The CPI-M sacked Mani from his post. Mani urged the high court to quash the FIR.

Reacting to the court ruling, CPI-M leader and former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan came down on Mani.

"The direction by the court is not wrong. It was the right direction by the court," he said.