By Our Legal Correspondent
Kochi, Nov 08 (IVC) The two life convicts, Pattakka Suresh Babu and V Vinoyi were permitted by the High Court of Kerala to attend a law degree course through online mode.
A Division Bench of the court consisting of Justices A J Jayasankaran Nambiar and Kauser Edappagath issued the order in this regard on November 07.
Suresh Babu , who is jailed at the Open Prison and Correctional Home, Cheemeni, Kannur was permitted to attend the three-year LL>B course at KMCT Law College , Malappuram and Vinoy , who is now at Central Prison , Kannur , was permitted to attend the course at Sree Narayana Law College, Poothotta, Ernakulam.
The superintendents of both jails and the Principals both the colleges shall make necessary arrangements to enable the duo to attend the classes online.
The jail superintendents shall release them on interim bail whenever their physical presence is insisted upon by the college for attending moot court, seminar, workshop,intership programme examination or any other practical training the court directed. Though the convicts had sought the suspension jail term to pursue the study, the court refused to entertain the plea.
The trial courts had found beyond the reasonable doubt there was direct evidence to prove that the two had committed the offence of murder , the Bench said. At the same time, the Bench felt that the right of the two convicts to pursue the study must be honoured.
It was necessary to strike a balance between the interests of society and the rights of a convict. The two shall be permitted to undergo the classes online utilizing the technology available at the jails and colleges without suspending the execution of sentence. Such adirection would bring about a meaningful integration of technology into the criminal justice dispensation system of the country, the court observed.
