ALAPPUZHA: It is said that the decision to grant remission to Sherin, who was convicted in the Bhaskara Karanavar murder case, was made by the Cabinet at an unusually fast pace. Even though many prisoners who have served over 20 years are still in jail, Sherin, who completed 14 years of imprisonment, was granted remission based on her status as a woman. The remission was granted without following the Jail Advisory Committee’s recommendation, which states that only those who have completed more than 25 years of imprisonment should be released.

In 2010, the Mavelikkara Fast Track Court had sentenced Sherin to life imprisonment. During her time in various prisons, she received multiple concessions. Moreover, she was involved in several incidents inside the jail. Despite these issues, the decision was made to release her. In the past 14 years, Sherin was granted parole for over 500 days. Even in 2016, when the election code of conduct was in effect and other prisoners were denied parole, Sherin was granted parole—initially for 30 days and later extended for another 30 days.

While severely ill prisoners who have served 20 to 25 years are still in jail, the Cabinet's decision to release Sherin has sparked controversy. She was sentenced to prison on June 11, 2010, and received her first parole on March 3, 2012, even before completing two years of imprisonment. She was granted parole eight times from the Thiruvananthapuram jail alone, including two emergency paroles. Despite conflicts with fellow inmates and prison officials, both the police and probation reports were in her favour. Sherin’s lover and co-accused Basith Ali, has been placed in an open jail due to good conduct, but his release was not considered.