CPM State committee members A.A. Rahim MP, M. Swaraj sentenced to one-year imprisonment

In a significant legal development, the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court has handed down a one-year prison sentence to CPM state committee members A.A. Rahim MP and M. Swaraj.

The verdict, delivered on Saturday, is in connection to their involvement in violent incidents that transpired during an education strike in 2010.

The court, presided over by a Judicial Magistrate, found both Rahim and Swaraj guilty of charges related to the destruction of barricades and obstruction of vehicular movement.

The case revolves around protests led by the Students Federation of India (SFI) against the education policy implemented by the Oommen Chandy government at the time.

In addition to the one-year imprisonment, the court imposed a Rs 5000 fine on each of the convicted CPM members.

Following the sentencing, the court granted bail to Rahim and Swaraj. The charges against them include the destruction of public property, stemming from the events that unfolded during the education strike outside the secretariat.

The legal proceedings were initiated based on a case filed by the Museum Police in 2010, highlighting the severity of the charges faced by Rahim and Swaraj.

The violence during the protests included the destruction of police barricades, leading to the disruption of vehicular movement in the vicinity of the secretariat.

As the news of the verdict spreads, it raises questions about the role of political figures in acts of violence during protests and draws attention to the broader issues surrounding education policies that continue to be a point of contention in the state.