Latest news with #Prasanth
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Peroorkada Flyover work to start by September
: After years of delays, Peroorkada flyover project is finally gaining momentum, with tender proceedings expected to wrap up this month and construction likely to begin by late Aug or early Sept, according to MLA VK Prasanth. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), which is executing the project under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), is set to float construction tenders within the next two weeks. As part of the groundwork, six remaining buildings at Peroorkada have been marked for demolition. Owners have been issued a strict two-day deadline to vacate, and authorities have ruled out further extensions. If necessary, forcible eviction will be carried out to avoid further delays. About 50% of the demolition work has already been completed, including the removal of more than 25 shops to widen the road at the congested junction, where major routes from Nedumangad, Kudappanakunnu, and nearby areas meet. The location has long been a traffic bottleneck for commuters. The planned flyover will span approximately 874 metres, connecting Lourdes Church at Peroorkada to St Jude Church at Vazhayila, at an estimated cost of Rs 106 crore. Construction is expected to take 18 months once underway. Land acquisition for the project concluded in late 2024, with compensation already disbursed to over 80 landowners. Only six structures remain to be cleared. Demolition tenders for these are expected within two weeks. Originally planned as an underpass, the project was revised into a flyover after underground pipelines were discovered, a change Prasanth defended despite concerns from local merchants over business disruptions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The tender will be called this month itself, and construction is expected to begin by the end of Augor early Sept," Prasanth said. The project was first inaugurated by Public Works Minister PA Mohammed Riyas in Nov 2021 but faced repeated delays due to legal disputes over land.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Kerala's stray dog management under scanner as dog bites and rabies deaths spike
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The rise in stray dog attacks and rabies deaths have yet again reignited debates over the state's handling of the stray dog menace. Inefficiency of the local self-government institutions (LSGI) in utilising funds for implementing projects for stray dog management is cited as one of the main reasons for the rise in the attacks. As per official data, over the past two years, the LSGIs spent only Rs 13.59 crore out of the total allocation of Rs 98.93 crore. Over 1.65 lakh people have been bitten by stray dogs in Kerala in the past five months, leading to 17 deaths. The other day, Kerala State Human Rights Commission pulled up the state government demanding an action plan for managing stray dogs. Meanwhile, the LSGD is blaming the Central law for poor management of stray dogs. However, a social media post by bureaucrat N Prasanth in response to the Facebook post by LSG Minister M B Rajesh has further sparked debate. Prasanth countered Rajesh's argument, stating that the state had broader legislative options. Prasanth told TNIE that animal welfare is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, enabling states to pass context-specific laws. Citing Tamil Nadu's legislation on Jallikattu and Kerala's own 1968 law banning animal sacrifice, he said that Kerala could enact a specific law -- such as a Kerala Public Safety and Aggressive Animals Regulation Act -- to regulate or remove violent stray animals. With mounting pressure, a meeting has been called by LSGD and animal husbandry department on July 16 to discuss solutions for the crisis. Minister Rajesh told TNIE that the state has sought legal advice multiple times to address the stray dog menace and there is no such provisions to bring a legal framework to kill aggressive dogs. 'There is a Supreme Court ruling and as per existing laws, the state can only sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs. The law also restricts killing of rabid dogs and as per rule, a rabid dog should be left to die. If it was legally possible, the state would have done it already. If there is a possibility for a legal framework, we will definitely do it. This law is applicable for every state in the country and none of the other states has come up with such a law for culling dogs,' said Rajesh.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
When Maya Angelou's words found a way to Kerala courtroom: Political murder, a wedding, and parole
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.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Kerala high court grants 15-day emergency parole to life convict to get married
Kochi: A high court bench of Justice P V Kunhikrishnan has granted 15 days of emergency parole to K P Prasanth of Thrissur, a life convict in the high security Viyyur prison, to facilitate his marriage. The parole petition filed by Prasanth's mother. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by HC in April 2025 for the murder of P G Deepak, a Janata Dal (United) office bearer in Thrissur. Prasanth's marriage was scheduled for July 13. However, an application submitted by his mother seeking emergency leave was rejected by the jail superintendent who cited that the prison rules do not provide for emergency leave for the convict's own marriage. This prompted her to approach HC. In support of her plea, Prasanth's mother produced a photograph from the betrothal ceremony and submitted that both families had mutually agreed to conduct the marriage on July 13. She also stated that despite Prasanth being sentenced to life imprisonment, the bride stood firm in her decision to marry him. HC appreciated the bride's stand and extended its blessings for a happy life. It accordingly granted parole to Prasanth for 15 days, from July 12 to 26. The court also quoted the renowned American poet Maya Angelou: "Love recognises no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."
New Straits Times
04-07-2025
- New Straits Times
Man pleads guilty to rape, sodomy of Aussie woman in cemetery
GEORGE TOWN: A man pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court here today (July 4) to two counts of raping and sodomising an Australian woman inside a car at a cemetery last Saturday. S. Prasanth, 25, made the guilty plea after the charges were read to him twice, once in Bahasa Malaysia and another in Tamil, by the court interpreters before judge Juraidah Abbas. On the first count, Prasanth admitted to raping the Australian citizen inside a Perodua Axia, and at the time of committing the offence, had placed the victim in fear of death or injury by pointing pair of scissors at her. He committed the offence at the Hong Seng Estate Chinese cemetery between 5.20am and 6pm on June 28. He was charged under Section 376(2)(b) of the Penal Code, which carries between 10 years and 30 years and whipping upon conviction. On the second count, Prasanth admitted to committing sodomy on the victim at the same place, time and day. He was charged under Section 377C of the Penal Code, which carries between five years and 20 years and whipping upon conviction. State prosecution director Mohd Nordin Ismail and Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Jun Keong prosecuted while the accused was unrepresented. Nordin asked the court not to grant bail as both offences were serious. He said if the court decides to grant bail, it should set bail at RM100,000 for each of the charges. "The charges showed that the actions against the victim were cruel, as it happened inside a car at a Chinese cemetery in the early hours of the morning. "Also, why did the accused have with him a pair of scissors? All these show that he had the intention to take advantage of the victim. "This case is certainly of public interest, and as such, we are of the view that bail should not be granted. Nordin also urged the court to take into consideration the sensitivity of the good relations between Malaysia and Australia. "We have to send a loud message out there that we do not condone such actions, failing which this may lead to similar cases in future," he said. Nordin said if bail was granted, the accused should report himself to the nearest police station once a month and surrender his passport to the court. "He should also refrain from disturbing the prosecution witnesses," he added. Meanwhile, Prasanth asked the court to grant him bail, said he had a 66-year-old mother and a father, who was not working. "I, myself, am also working in a part-time job," he said. Juraidah did not grant bail and set July 31 for mention and for the accused to appoint a lawyer and document submissions.
