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Thiruvananthapuram: Even as a debate over the death sentence awarded to a young woman for murdering her boyfriend picked up steam in Kerala, a move of the Left-front government to give remission to a woman undergoing life-term for murdering father-in-law has triggered discussion on the need to ensure stringent punishment in heinous crimes.
Sherin, who was convicted for murdering her 66-year-old father-in-law Bhaskara Karanavar in 2009 at Chenganur in Alappuzha owing to property dispute, has got a decision in her favour from the CPI(M) government in Kerala. The matter is now awaiting the nod of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
The state cabinet decided to recommend to the Governor to give relief to Sherin, who is now in her early forties, on the basis of a report of the prison advisory committee that she has reformed and consideration need to be given to the facts that she is a woman and a mother. As she completed over 14 years of sentence she was eligible to be considered for remission.
However, the move raised many eyebrows as many other prisoners who are having serious ailments and completed around 20 years of imprisonment were yet to get remission.
"The government decision will send a wrong message to the society that those who commit grave offences will also get favours from the government," laments the prime witness in the case Anil Onamballi.
He told DH that he would consult the family of the deceased as well as the special prosecutor of the case to see if there was any scope to legally oppose the remission.
There are also allegations that a minister in the state had played a role in expediting Sherin's remission. Sherin was also granted around 500 days of parole during her jail term.
Recently, a court in Thiruvananthapuram awarded death sentence to 24 year old woman Greeshma for murdering her lover Sharon by giving pesticide mixed herbal medicine. It had triggered much debate with some former judicial offers openly commenting that only life term should have been given to her.
However, the government's decision to give remission to Sherin triggered debate on whether life-term sentences could be considered as stringent punishment.
Former judge justice B Kemal Pasha said that even as the Supreme Court had earlier directed that lifeterm should mean whole life term, the provision of reformation of the prisoners continues to be a loophole for the government to give remission. "I will not back the decision to give remission to convicts in grave crimes," he said.
A recent move by the CPI(M) government in Kerala to give remission to the accused in the brutal killing of CPI(M) dissident leader T P Chandrasekharan had triggered a major row in Kerala and the government later backtracked from it.