A CBI court here on Friday awarded life imprisonment to two persons for murdering a man 17 years ago allegedly for marrying a Muslim in Kasargod district.

Balakrishnan was murdered on September 18, 2001 near the Chandragiri bridge in Kasaragod.

Mohammed Iqbal alias Ikku and Mohammed Hanifa alias Jackie Hanif were found guilty yesterday under various IPC sections including 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The court had acquitted three others.

Pronouncing the verdict, special CBI court judge S Santhosh Kumar said the case does not fall under rarest of rare cases.

"Accused are convicted and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life for the offence under Section 120B of IPC and imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs one lakh each for the offence under Section 302 of IPC. In default of payment of fine, rigorous imprisonment for two years," the judge said in his order.

The court said the entire fine amount if released will be paid to the victim's father.

Sentence of imprisonment shall run concurrently, the court said.

The court also ordered probe against two witnesses --Mohammed Kunhi and C A Abbas-- for perjury on the basis of a complaint by the CBI.

In its order, the court also observed that both Kunhi and Abbas after giving statements under Section 164 of CrPC before a judicial magistrate, denied the contents of statement before the court.

There were six accused in the case but one later turned approver.

Balakrishnan, who was in love with the Muslim woman, had married her in June 2001.

His parents had alleged that Balakrishnan was stabbed to death by a gang hired by the woman's father Aboobacker Haji, also accused in the case.

He was stabbed by the accused, who abducted him in a car and murdered him for marrying the Muslim woman, the parents alleged.

The Kerala High Court ordered a CBI investigation in 2010 after Balakrishnan's parents filed a plea in this regard.

In their petition, the parents had alleged that the local police and the crime branch did not conduct proper investigation in the case.

Ikku, who went absconding, was arrested from Dubai in 2010 with the assistance of Interpol after the CBI took over the investigation.