Torture charge against life convict: HC seeks report,submitted

Taking serious note of the charges oftorture against a life convict in a central prison, the KeralaHigh Court on Friday directed the Thiruvananthapuram DistrictMagistrate and District Medical Officer to visit the jail inthe state capital and report on his condition.

A Division Bench gave the order in a habeas corpus pleafiled by parents of Tittu Jerome, convicted in the Kevinmurder case, alleging torture by Thiruvananthapuram Poojappuracentral prison officials against their son.

The report was filed at 4 pm today, saying that Jeromewas shifted to the Medical College Hospital inThiruvananthapuram after doctors suggested that he requiredtreatment for the injury he suffered in the jail.

Considering the report, the Bench directed that theAdditional Director General of Police (Prison) conduct anenquiry and forward an interim report to the Additional JudgeII, Thiruvananthapuram on or before 12.00 noon Saturday.

It directed that the convict be provided a guard in theMedical College Hospital from the police force and no centralprison personnel should be allowed access to him.

The court also directed the Thiruvananthapuram citypolice commissioner to provide ample protection and alsoensure his proper detention at the Medical College Hospital.

Earlier, while directing the district judge and districtmedical officer to visit Poojappura Central Jail and reportthe condition of Jerome by 4 pm today itself, the courtobserved that ''Right to punish is with the courts'' and it willnot allow eye for an eye, tooth for tooth practices.

Jerome was among the 10 people awarded double lifesentence by the Principal Sessions Court, Kottayam, in 2019for the honour killing of a 23-year-old Dalit Christian man in2018, which had triggered widespread protests across thestate.