Move to commute sentence of TP Chandrasekaran murder case convicts unsuccessful; 900 prisoners to get sentences reduced

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The move to reduce the sentence of three more accused in the TP Chandrasekaran murder case under the disguise of the government's decision to grant commutation to 900 convicts, including political prisoners and life convicts, on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, has failed. The commutation was granted under the central government's Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav event.

Steps were taken to reduce the sentence of TP murder case convicts TK Rajeesh, Mohammad Shafi and K Sijith, who have been specially sentenced by the High Court to serve 20 years life sentence without commutation. A list of 56 accused of Kannur Central Jail was prepared to grant commutation of sentence. The TP case accused entered this list. The Superintendent of Kannur Central Jail had sent a letter to the city police asking for the police report of the accused before the commutation of the sentence. The move collapsed after this letter came out.

TK Rajeesh is the fourth accused in the TP murder case. Muhammad Shafi is the fifth accused and K Sijith is the sixth accused. These three names were given in the letter sent by the Kannur Central Jail Superintendent to the City Police Commissioner on June 13. Jail Superintendent Balram Kumar Upadhyay told 'Kerala Kaumudi' that they were removed from the list in the context of the court order.

A committee consisting of home and law secretaries and prison chiefs is the one that makes recommendations to the government regarding this. The first recommendation was to give relief to 1300 prisoners, including 368 in Kannur Central Jail. This is reduced to 900. 240 people in the jails of the capital are among them.

Ways of Commutation

Life prisoners can be given a one-year commutation. For others, the sentence can be relaxed from 15 days to six months. This will reduce the duration of the sentence. Political prisoners can get a commutation from 15 days to a year. Punishment is also relaxed on special occasions like Kerala Piravi, Independence Day and Republic Day. With this, the prisoners can get out before completing their sentence. Although the cabinet can recommend the commutation of prisoners, it is the governor who has to give the go-ahead. This can be reviewed by the court.

No commutation for accused in TP case: Jail chief

Jail Superintendent Balram Kumar Upadhyay told 'Kerala Kaumudi' that no commutation will be granted to the accused in the TP case. As part of the Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav, the Center had proposed commutation of sentences to those who had completed 10 years of imprisonment. TP case accused entered in the list of prisoners made in this way. They were later removed from the list in the context of the court order that they should not be given leniency in punishment for 20 years. There is this kind of court order in the sentence of many people including them. All of them have been removed from the list.