When Maya Angelou's words found a way to Kerala courtroom: Political murder, a wedding, and parole

Indian Express

10 hours ago

The Kerala High Court Friday granted parole to a person serving life imprisonment, saying that 'the court was looking at this case from the angle of that girl who decided to marry the convict'.
Granting 15-day parole to Prasanth alias Kochi, a native of Thrissur, for his wedding slated to be held on July 13, Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said, 'This court cannot neglect the brave stand of that girl who is ready to marry the convict, even though she knows that her partner is in jail and is undergoing life imprisonment.' Prasanth has been convicted of a political murder that rocked Kerala in 2015.
His mother, Sathy, had approached the high court after the jail authorities rejected her plea for parole. According to the prison rules, there is no provision for granting emergency leave to a convict for his wedding.
The judge said he was exercising his extraordinary jurisdiction to grant parole for 15 days, looking not at Prasanth but towards the woman who is ready to marry because of her love and affection for him. She did not change her stand even after her partner was convicted, the court noted. 'Let that girl be happy, and this court shower all blessings upon her,' it said.
'Even after the convict was sentenced to undergo life imprisonment, her love continued. In other words, she says that 'you are my today, my tomorrow, and my forever.' She says that 'you are my soulmate, my partner, my best friend',' the court said.
The judge quoted American poet Maya Angelou in his order: 'Love recognises no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.'
Prasanth is among five RSS-BJP workers who were found guilty of murdering P G Deepak, who had left the party to join the RJD, in 2015. The incident was reported at Cherpu police limits in Thrissur.
The prosecution had listed ten persons as accused, and a trial court had acquitted all of them. Subsequently, Deepak's wife Varsha appealed in the High Court, which on April 8 this year awarded life imprisonment to five among them. Prasanth's marriage was fixed before the verdict.