PFI man sentenced to death for murder of BJP leader gets escort parole to visit ailing mother

Kochi: High court has granted escort parole to Shaji Poovathil, a convict sentenced to capital punishment in the Alappuzha Renjith Sreenivasan murder case, to visit his 93-year-old bedridden mother, who is reportedly in a critical condition.Justice P V Kunhikrishnan directed the prison authorities to ensure that Shaji is taken on escort parole from the Poojappura Central Prison within three days. He must be allowed to spend a minimum of six hours with his mother. The court also directed the district police chief, Thiruvananthapuram city, to make the necessary arrangements for the parole.The court was considering a petition filed by Shaji's wife, challenging the rejection of the request for escort parole by the authorities. The authorities had denied the plea on the ground that the law does not permit granting an escort or emergency parole to a prisoner who has been sentenced to death.Shaji and 14 others were sentenced to death by the Mavelikkara additional sessions court for the murder of Renjith Sreenivasan, the state secretary of the BJP OBC Morcha. According to the prosecution, Renjith was brutally murdered in front of his wife, mother and child at his home in Vellakinar, Alappuzha, on Dec 19, 2021, by a gang allegedly affiliated with the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), in retaliation for the killing of SDPI state secretary K S Shan.While considering the petition, HC remarked that Shaji, along with the other accused, had ‘orphaned the mother, wife, and child of the victim.' Now, he wishes to see his ailing mother. "If anybody says that Shaji's request is like the words of a wolf in sheep's clothing, they cannot be blamed. But this court cannot take an inhuman stand, as our country is known for its humanity, compassion and empathy in the delivery of justice. When a condemned prisoner awaiting execution submits before the court that he wants to see his mother who is in a sinking stage, the court cannot shut its eyes, even though he was inhuman to the deceased and his family when he committed the murder, which has been found true by the trial court," the bench added.