Author:
Publication: The News Minute
Date: May 4, 2017
URL:   https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-minister-mm-mani-acquitted-infamous-1-2-3-speech-cpi-m-s-political-murders-61498

In the speech from 2012, Mani had "boasted" that his party had killed as many as 13 political rivals.

In a major relief for Kerala's Electricity Minister M M Mani, a court acquitted him in a case over his controversial speech in Idukki's Thodupuzha in 2012.

The First Class Judicial Magistrate Court admitted the minister's plea to quash the charges against him on Thursday.

In the speech delivered on May 25, 2012, that has since been called as the '1...2...3 speech,' the senior Communist leader is heard "boasting" about the CPI (M) murdering as many as 13 political rivals.

“When Vayalar Ravi was home minister, hundreds of cases were registered against us. We made a list of 13 people...1, 2, 3, 4. First, we killed three among that; one was shot dead, one stabbed, and one beaten to death," Mani had said in his speech.

The Thodupuzha police then registered a case against Mani for his controversial speech, for conspiracy and causing riot. At the time of making the fiery speech, Mani was the Idukki district  secretary of CPI (M) and the controversy had forced the CPI (M) to remove Mani from his post.

According to reports, a total of 4 cases were filed against Mani in 2012, after he spilled the beans about the political killings. While the Thodupuzha court quashed the first case registered against Mani on Thursday, three more cases have been registered against him. These pertain to the murders of Anjery Baby, Mullanchira Mathayi and Muthukaadu Nanappan, which were re-opened after his speech.

However, the refusal of the trial court in Idukki to quash the charges against Mani in the Anjery Baby murder case of 1982, in December was a setback for him. Quashing his plea, the court had asked Mani, who had by then been elevated as the Electricity Minister in the Pinarayi cabinet, to face the trial.

Speaking to media persons, Mani's counsel Biju Poomalin said, "This case is purely a politically motivated one that was filed during the time of the UDF government's time. This has now been proven, with the court acquitting him of all charges.

The senior Communist leader has many a time landed himself in a soup over his controversial remarks. In the last of the series, members of a women's collective called Pembilai Orumai protested against the minister for allegedly defaming them in a recent speech.