Kerala minister acquitted in speech case

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala electricity minister and senior Communist Party of India — Marxist (CPM) leader M.M. Mani was on Thursday cleared by a local court in a controversial case in which he had said his party had drawn up a list of political opponents and eliminated them.

That controversial speech by the minister had come to be known as the “one-two-three” speech after he infamously commented that a list of opponents was drawn up and they were eliminated, “one, two, three”.

The Thodupuzha first class judicial magistrate court on Thursday upheld Mani’s appeal to be discharged from the case pertaining to that speech. The case was registered by the Thodupuzha police.

Mani made the speech in May 2012, in Mankkadu in Idukki district.

He even revealed some of the names of those eliminated, including Anchery Baby, Muttukadu Nanappan and Mullanchira Mathai.

Police had then launched fresh investigation into the murders of Baby, Nanappan and Mathai.

Mani courted controversy again last month when he made disparaging remarks against media persons and the women plantation workers’ organisation ‘Pembilai Orumai’ (women’s unity).

The leaders of the organisation have since been on fast demanding Mani’s apology and resignation from the cabinet. Mani, however, has steadfastly held on to the stand that he would not tender any more apology besides the public regrets that he has already expressed.