Kerala HC grants parole to dreaded killer 'Ripper' Jayanandhan for daughter's wedding
Kochi (PTI): 'Ripper' Jayanandhan, a notorious criminal serving a life sentence, will be able to attend his daughter's wedding next week after Kerala High Court granted him parole, observing that conviction for a crime does not reduce a person into a non-human.
The high court granted the relief to Jayanandhan, a dreaded killer lodged in a high-security prison in central Kerala's Thrissur district, on a plea filed by his wife.
Jayananadhan is serving three life sentences at the central jail in Viyyur.
He will be allowed to take part in the wedding ceremony at Thrissur's Vadakkumnathan Temple under heavy police surveillance on Wednesday.
In her plea before the court, Jayanandhan's wife challenged the authorities' reluctance to grant relief to her husband to take part in the wedding. The couple have two daughters.
The petitioner was represented by their lawyer daughter.
"Since the wedding of a daughter is an auspicious occasion and the presence of the father of the bride at that solemn function is most appropriate, this court is of the view that petitioner's husband ought to be given parole for partaking in the wedding of his daughter," Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said in the order.
"For the purposes of the wedding functions, he is also permitted to visit his house on March 21, 2023, from 9 am till 5 pm and be returned back to the prison on the same day. He is also permitted to attend the wedding on March 22 again from 9 am to 5 pm," the order stated.
The court observed that conviction for a crime does not reduce a person into a non-human.
"Convicts are not denuded of their fundamental rights, as held in Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration (1978) 4 SCC 494. Though some rights of convicts are denied and are capable of being denied to them, basic human rights cannot be crippled," the court said.
The high court said it cannot be oblivious to the "glorious" right to liberty enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
"The liberty of every individual and the right to life guaranteed under the aforesaid constitutional provision has been interpreted to include the right to live with human dignity. Though a convict, petitioner's husband also enjoys the facets of right to life and liberty within the limits of law.
"Normally the opportunity to participate in the wedding of a daughter has to be treated as part of that liberty. When the statute permits the grant of emergency parole, there is no reason why such a facet of his liberty ought to be denied to him despite him being a convict," the court stated.
The court, however, said the conduct of the convict in prison has not been above board.
Considering that he had twice escaped from prison and was even found guilty and convicted for those offences, the court said he is regarded as a person attempting to escape at every given chance.
"Since it is reported that there are serious security threats in taking the convict from prison, respondents 1 (government) and 3 (Thrissur City police) shall ensure strong and sufficient police surveillance, including escort are provided, and that the convict does not escape.
"However, the accompanying police or escort personnel shall be in plain clothes and shall not interfere with the functions related to the wedding, unless circumstances warrant," it said.
In 2016, the high court had commuted the death sentence of Jayanandhan, accused in several cases of murder and robbery, to life imprisonment in one of the murder cases against him.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
