About the Author:
Jyothika Jayadevan is a 4th year student pursuing BA LLB at Government Law College, Thiruvanathapuram.
In a significant legal development, the High Court has granted permission to prisoners serving life sentences who have secured admission for LLB courses to continue their studies through online mediums. The petition in question was filed by two individuals, Suresh Babu and V. Vinoy, both convicted of murder. Their plea sought to suspend their sentences temporarily in order to complete their law degrees.
After careful consideration, a divisional bench, comprising Justice Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Kousar Edappagath, has ruled that there were no extraordinary circumstances to release the petitioners. Furthermore, both M.G. and Calicut universities informed the honorable court that there was no existing permission to conduct LLB courses online. However, they expressed their willingness to comply with the court’s orders if such a directive were given.
The court emphasized the need to balance the interests of society and the rights of individual prisoners. Consequently, the court has directed that the petitioners should be treated on par with regular students, even though they do not directly fall into that category. Additionally, jail superintendents have been instructed to grant bail with certain conditions, including a bond of Rs 1 lakh, for those prisoners who need to attend colleges directly.
This decision marks a unique intersection of legal and educational considerations, with potential far-reaching implications for prisoners pursuing higher education.
