Thiruvananthapuram, July 25 : A special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday convicted 14 CPI-M workers in the murder of a local Congress leader near Kerala's Kollam in 2010.

Ramabhadran, the then Eroor mandalam chief of the Congress, was hacked to death in front of his wife and two daughters on April 10, 2010.

The case was first investigated by local police, then by the Crime Branch and following a petition from the deceased's wife, the Kerala High Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe it.

On Thursday, the special court convicted 14 of the 19 accused, and acquitted four, while one accused died during the pendency of the trial. It will announce the quantum of punishment next week.

The convicts include CPI-M activists holding significant posts in the Kollam district of the party and also a former staff member of former State Fisheries Minister J.Mercykutty.

/IANS