The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the conviction of Communist Party-Marxist activist A Pradeepan for the murder of a Kerala school teacher Jayakrishnan in front of students, but commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment.
However, a Bench headed by Justice S B Sinha acquitted four others for their involvement in the offence in which the teacher, a Bharatiya Janata Party supporter, was hacked to death.
The trial court in 2003 had held all the accused guilty and awarded them death sentence, which was upheld by the Kerala high court last year.