Kerala: Court acquits three men in Riyas Maulavi murder case

Kasaragod (Kerala) [India], March 31 : Kasargod Principal Sessions Court has acquitted three RSS workers, Nitinkumar, Ajesh and Akhilesh, natives of Kalluggude, in connection with the murder of 34-year-old Madrasa teacher Mohammed Riyas.
The principal sessions judge, K. K. Balakrishnan, passed the verdict on Saturday.
Riyas Moulavi was murdered in Old Choori inside Old Juma Masjid, allegedly by RSS workers, on March 20, 2017.
Earlier, the police charged IPC sections 449 (house trespass), 302 (murder), 153A (promoting enmity on the ground of religion), 295 (defiling a place of worship), 201 (destruction of evidence), and 34 (common intention) against the accused.
The prosecutor said, "The accused persons, who were strong believers of the Hindutva ideology, had strong animosity and hatred towards members of the Muslim community, which resulted in the murder."
Riyaz Moulavi's family responded to the verdict by calling it disappointing.
The accused have been in jail for seven years since their arrest. They were not granted bail. So far, seven judges have considered the case. The police presented more than 50 documents, including DNA test results, to the court.
97 witnesses were examined. 215 documents and 45 documents were submitted to the court. Considering the verdict, high security was imposed in the court and surrounding areas.
The security was imposed under the direct control of the District Police Chief.