Kasaragod District’s Five Constituencies Sees Good Turnout of Voters
Kasaragod: Kerala assembly election voting is underway and the district’s five constituencies have already seen a good turnout of voters within the first few hours.
Voters were seen queuing outside the voting booths in long lines since morning. The district’s 1691 voting booths have 10.59 lakh voters. From the five Vidhana Sabha constituencies, there are 38 candidates in fray.
District-wide, the voting procedure is happening peacefully. The candidates reached the voting booths in the morning and finished casting their votes. The officials informed that by 9.15 am, the district had received 14.23% of the voter’s turnout.
The CPI candidate from Kanhangad, E Chandrashekharan visited the 33rd polling booth at the Koliyadaka Government UP School in the morning and cast his vote. Kasaragod UDF candidate N. A. Nellikunnu visited the Nellikunje Government Higher Secondary School’s polling station and cast his vote. Kasaragod BJP candidate K. Srikanth visited the 105th polling station at the Bekal Government Fisheries High School and cast his vote. LDF Candidate M. A Latheef Pallikere visited the polling booth at the Kallingaal Government Maapilla U.P School and cast his vote.
In the morning, Uduma’s LDF Candidate C. H Kunhaabu Ananguru cast his vote at the 156th polling booth in GLP School. Manjeshwar UDF Candidate A.K. M. Ashraf voted at the polling station in the Kadambar School.
District's 738 polling stations have been enabled with Live Web Casting facilities, and a control room has been set up in the Kasaragod Civil Station Panchayat’s Deputy Director’s office. These polling stations are being monitored by the District Collector, Election Observers, and District Superintendent of Police. The officials have informed that these steps have been undertaken to prevent fake voting, multiple voting violations, and any unpleasant incidents in the voting booth.
By 9.45 am, Kasaragod District saw a 15.20% voter turnout. Officials informed that Manjeshwara recorded 15.47%, Kasaragod 13.67%, Uduma 15.07%, Kanhangad 15.97%, and Trikaripur recorded 15.74% voter’s turnout respectively.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
