THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If popular sentiment was a parameter in deciding the quantum of punishment, they would not have come out of the prison. Ever. But the Kerala Government’s list for special remission, submitted to Governor P Sathasivam, contained 11 convicts in the T P Chandrasekharan murder case and controversial businessman Mohammed Nisham.
The names came up through a Right to Information (RTI) reply given by the Prisons Department, caused major embarrassment to the state government. The RTI reply said the list was forwarded to the government for special remission on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Kerala’s formation (Nov 1, 2016). But the Governor had sent back the list seeking more clarification.
Notorious 11
TP murder case convicts: M C Anoop (1st accused), Manoj Kumar aka Kirmani Manoj (2nd accused), N K Sunil Kumar aka Kodi Suni (3rd accused), T K Rajeesh (4th accused), K K Mohammed Shafi (5th accused), Annan Shijith (6th accused), K Shinoj (7th accused), K C Ramachandran (8th accused), CPM Kunnummakkara local committee member Manojan aka Trouser Manojan (11th accused), former CPM branch secretary, Kadanganpoyil, P K Kunhanandan (13th accused) and CPM Panur area committee member P V Rafeeque (18th accused).
● Mohammed Nisham
The beedi tycoon is serving life term for killing the security guard of his apartment, Chandrabose.
● Manichan
The key accused in the Kalluvathukkal hooch tragedy
● Sherin
She is convicted in the murder case of her father-in-law
The list
The government prepared the final remission list of 1,850 from 2,262 names prepared by a five-member committee chaired by DGP (Prisons). But the Governor had sent back the list seeking more clarification.
The government plan was to grant one-year remission to those undergoing
life term, five months to those serving five to 10 years, four months to those having two to five years term, three months for jail period of one to two years, two months for six months to one year term and a month for those serving three to six months in jail.
Amid the raging controversy over the LDF Government’s move to grant remission to the convicts serving time in some of the most sensational cases, the CPM state leadership has flatly denied the charges.Besides, it passed the buck to the rival UDF camp, saying the list had been drawn up by the previous Congress-led Government.
“Whether it’s about the accused in the T P Chandrasekharan murder case or Mohammed Nisam, the accused in the Chandrabose case, they are eligible for remission as per the law. This has been the practice for long. Moreover, it was recommended by the erstwhile UDF Government. The LDF Government had no role in it,” said a senior leader after the CPM state secretariat meet.
Interestingly,the CPM brass,while seeking to bail out the LDF Government,insisted the convicts were only being allowed a legitimate concession eligible to them under the law. Contrary to what’s being alleged, it’s not about releasing them from the prison,they said.If the convicts had to be released from the prison,special permission from the Governor was indeed needed. Moreover,none of the lifers would be set free, it was said.
Flak against govt
The CPM state secretariat reportedly saw criticism of the government for failing to take its achievements to the people. It witnessed calls for measures to further improve the goverment’s image.
Even as some of the secretariat members said the repeated controversies would dent the government’s image, they drew attention to certain lapses in the functioning of the LDF dispensation.
Kodiyeri’s clean chit
CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the list of convicts was prepared by the erstwhile UDF Government. “It’s only about granting them remission as per the law. None of them would be released from prison, based on the list,” the CPM state chief said, adding, he was yet to go through it.