Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has suspended three officials from Kannur Central Jail for improperly seeking police reports to potentially reduce the sentences of life-term convicts in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case. The suspended officials are Kannur Jail Superintendent S Sreejith, Assistant Superintendent BG Arun, and Prison Officer OV Raghunath.
This action follows the Chief Minister’s Office’s discovery that these officials sought police reports for the early release of the convicts, despite a court ruling that they must serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for leniency. According to the law, police reports are required before any remission can be granted to a convict.
The incident has sparked significant public outrage and led to a walkout by the opposition from the state assembly. The opposition accused the state government of attempting to facilitate the early release of the murderers of TP Chandrasekharan.
In response, Minister MB Rajesh denied the allegations, stating that the state government had not initiated any such attempts and promised an investigation into the matter. “It is clear that some suspicious moves were initiated by certain officials. Actions have already been taken against them,” Rajesh asserted.
TP Chandrasekharan, the founder of the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), was brutally murdered in 2012 after breaking away from the CPI (M) to form his own party. His wife, KK Rema, is currently an RMP MLA from Vadakara and part of the Congress-led UDF alliance.
The suspension of the prison officials marks a significant step in ensuring accountability and transparency within the prison system, amidst growing concerns over the improper handling of remission requests for high-profile convicts.