Perumbavoor Jisha murder case; Government seeks permission to carry out death penalty

KOCHI: The Division Bench of the High Court will pronounce its verdict on the petition filed by the government seeking permission to execute the accused in the Perumbavoor Jisha murder case. The accused in the case is Amirul Islam, a native of Assam. The court will also give its verdict on the appeal filed by the accused seeking acquittal on the same day.

Jisha, a native of Perumbavoor and a law student, was killed on April 28, 2016. The accused committed the crime by trespassing into the woman's house. The postmortem report stated that Jisha was brutally raped, with 38 wounds found on her body.

After the investigation, the accused was arrested on June 16 of the same year. After months of trial, the trial court sentenced him to death. Against this, the defendant appealed to the High Court.

He maintains his innocence, claiming the evidence against him was fabricated by the police. Scientific evidence emerged after his arrest suggesting someone else committed the crime. Amirul Islam's petition stated that Jisha had no prior knowledge, seeking his release. The verdict on the appeal will be delivered on Monday afternoon.

The accused had earlier filed a plea stating that he should be transferred to a jail in Assam. He approached the Supreme Court, citing his family's extreme poverty in Assam, making it difficult for them to visit him in Viyyur. This plea was rejected by the court.

Current law mandates permission from the High Court to carry out the death sentence. Hence, the government approached the High Court seeking permission for the death penalty and the petition has already been argued.

If the High Court accepts the government's petition, Amirul Islam will be hanged in Kerala after Ripper Chandran. Ripper Chandran, who killed 15 people was hanged in Kannur Central Jail in July 1991. According to jail records, Ripper Chandran was executed by paying Rs 2 lakh to a youth from Pollachi. The last execution was carried out in Poojappura Central Jail in 1979, where Azhakesan, a native of Kaliyikkavila was hanged.