Kochi, Dec 10 (IANS) A local court here on Friday refused bail to the five CPI-M workers who were arrested on December 1 by the CBI in connection with the murder of two youth Congress workers on February 17, 2019 at Periya in Kasargode district.

The five, who were refused bail, were -- local CPI-M leaders at Periya Raju, Vishnu Sura, S. Madhu, Reji Varghese and Hari Prasad.

Strongly opposing the bail was the CBI who told the Ernakulam Additional chief judicial magistrate court that giving bail to these accused will impact further investigation.

Incidentally, the ongoing CBI probe into the brutal twin murder case has sent shockwaves to the ruling CPI-M.

In the remand report, filed before the CBI court here on December 2, it states that former CPI-M Udma legislator -- K.V. Kunhiraman is the 21st accused in the case.

It was on December 1, 2020, the Pinarayi Vijayan government suffered a huge setback when the apex court upheld the verdict of the Kerala High Court's division bench to handover the murder case probe to the CBI and exactly after a year, the CBI arrested the five CPI-M leaders in connection with it.

The gruesome murder took place on February 17, 2019 at Periya in Kasargode district.

Youth Congress workers, Krupesh, 19, and Sharath Lal Joshy, 24, were attacked by three motorcycle-borne men while returning from an event. While Krupesh died at the Kasargode district hospital, Joshy succumbed to his injuries on his way to a medical facility in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

The families of the victims and the Congress have been demanding a CBI probe from the outset, saying that the police had failed to arrest the real accused, who, according to them, are senior CPI-M leaders in Kasargode who had conspired to eliminate the two young Congress workers.

The family then approached the High Court and the Single Bench approved of it, but the Pinarayi Vijayan government appealed in the division bench, which upheld the single bench verdict. The Vijayan government then approached the Supreme Court and on December 1, 2020, the apex court upheld the division bench's verdict.