Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) general secretary Vellappally Natesan and his son and NDA leader Thushar Vellappally are in the dock for the death of an SNDP office-bearer in 2020.
A local court in Alappuzha on Wednesday directed the police to prosecute Natesan, his son and their close aide K L Ashokan as accused in the unnatural death case of an SNDP union secretary, K K Mahesan.
In a suspected case of suicide, Mahesan was found hanging in the office of SNDP at Kanichikulangara, close to Natesan's house, on June 24, 2020.
Mahesan was apparently a close confidant of Natesan and managed the microfinance scheme of SNDP that faced allegations of financial misappropriation of Rs 1.5 crore. After his death, various letters, suspected to be written by Mahesan, lamenting that he was being made a scapegoat in the cheating case, came out.
Mahesan's wife approached the court, alleging lapses in the police investigation. Subsequently, the court ordered Natesan, Thushar and Ashokan to be arraigned in the case. A special police team is investigating the case.
As the head of SNDP, which represents the prominent Hindu-Ezhava community, Natesan enjoys much political clout. Thushar, an NDA candidate against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Wayanad in 2019, is facing a probe into the alleged 'Operation Lotus' of BJP in Telangana to bribe TRS MLAs.
(Published 30 November 2022, 15:58 IST)
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