Kochi, Aug 25 Aug 25 (IANS): The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala on Tuesday suffered a huge setback after a division bench of the Kerala High Court ruled that the CBI will probe the case of two Youth Congress workers murdered near Periya in Kasaragod last year.

Incidentally it was the Vijayan government which brought in high-profile lawyers to defend them, after a single bench of the High Court earlier directed a CBI probe, quashing the police charge sheet in the case last year.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government had come under fire from various quarters after they decided to approach the division bench against the single bench verdict. The gruesome murders took place on February 17, last year.

The family members of the victims and the Congress party have been demanding a CBI probe into the twin murders alleging that senior CPI-M leaders in the district conspired to eliminate the two young Congress workers. A.Peethambaran, a local CPI-M leader is the prime accused in the case and is under arrest.

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 Kasargod district hospital, Joshy succumbed to injuries on his way to a medical facility in Mangaluru, Karnataka.