SC upholds conviction of CPM activist but commutes death sentence

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday upheld the conviction of CPM activist A Pradeepan for the murder of a Kerala school teacher Jayakrishnan in front of students but commuted the death sentence into life imprisonment.

However, a bench headed by Justice S B Sinha acquitted four others for their involvement in the offence in which the teacher, a BJP supporter, was hacked to death.

The trial court in 2003 had held all the accused guilty and awarded them death sentence which was upheld by the Kerala High Court last year.