Sonu, who was lodged in the prison since 2009 on a murder charge, appeared for higher secondary examination of UP Board from the prison examination centre here.
"Sonu has got distinction in all subjects, including English, and he was overjoyed last evening when he saw his result on the computer here," Jail Superintendent V K Singh said.
He said 20 inmates from different jails of Meerut division applied for the class XII examination out of which 17 appeared for the exams.
Out of which 16 were declared successful, with two of them getting a first division with distinction. Only one examinee was unsuccessful, he said.
"Sonu's percentage is only five per cent less than the percentage of the topper of UP Board in Meerut Division," he said.
"The view that prisons produce criminals is now changing," District Magistrate R Ramesh Kumar has said.
More opportunities of higher education will be provided to jail inmates and convicted criminals if they are interested in getting education, he said.
Published 28 May 2010, 10:53 IST