Kerala Court Dismisses Election Bribery Case Against BJP Chief Surendran

A court in Kasargod, Kerala, has dismissed an election bribery case against state BJP President K. Surendran and several others, providing them with a clean slate related to the 2021 Assembly polls.

The case stemmed from a petition filed by CPI-M leader V.V. Rameshan, who was an LDF candidate in the Manjeswaram constituency during the April 2021 elections. Surendran finished a close second to the Congress-led UDF candidate, who won by a margin of 745 votes.

Rameshan had alleged that BJP leaders offered money, mobile phones, and other favors to BSP candidate K. Sundara to withdraw his nomination in favor of Surendran. Sundara later claimed he was bribed to step down.

However, the court accepted a discharge petition from Surendran and five local BJP leaders, allowing their release from the case. The court determined that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on their part.

After the verdict, Surendran stated that the case was fabricated and part of a conspiracy involving the CPI-M, Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, and certain media outlets aimed at preventing him from contesting elections. “I’ve maintained from the start that this was a conspiracy. We always believed in our innocence,” he remarked.

The investigation, conducted by the Crime Branch of the Kerala Police, had included charges under the SC/ST Act along with allegations of bribery to undermine elections. Surendran expressed surprise at the charges, noting, “Now everything has been dismissed.”

In response, Rameshan announced his intention to appeal the court’s decision, asserting that “everyone knows that bribes were given.”