The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Prisoner moves court for permission to study law

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Tuesday, Apr 08, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Prisoner moves court for permission to study law

B.S. Ramesh

Padmanabha was earlier denied permission to pursue the course

BANGALORE: A convict who is serving a life term for murder in Karnataka has petitioned the Karnataka High Court for permission to study law so that he can, after his release, “become a good and leading lawyer of Bangalore”.

In his petition, Padmanabha, who is a graduate and is doing a postgraduate course in journalism from the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysore, said he had sought and was refused permission by the Inspector-General of Police (Prisons), Bangalore, to pursue a course in law.

Padmanabha, who is lodged in the Central Jail in Mysore, said it was his mother Susheela who initially wanted him to take up a course in law.

Susheela had also written to the office of the Inspector-General of Prisons seeking permission from him to allow her son to enrol in a law course. On February 10, 2005, the prison authorities wrote back denying permission for Padmanabha to take up the law course.

Padmanabha petitioned the court for quashing the February notification and directing the Department of Prisons to permit him to pursue a course in law.

He said the 3rd Additional Sessions Judge, Dakshina Kannada, had convicted him of murder. He said he was an undertrial at the District Prison in Mangalore in 1996. He said when he was transferred to the Central Jail in Mysore, he wanted to complete his education.

He said he wrote on March 17, 2005 to then Vice-Chancellor of KSOU Sudha Rao seeking her permission to take up a course in law.

He said he had a dream of studying law as he wanted to “become a good and leading lawyer of Bangalore”.

He received a reply from Mahajana College, Mysore, permitting him to take up a course in law.

Padmanabha said he then wrote to the prison authorities seeking their permission to take up the course. This was, however, refused.

The jail authorities, in their statement, say that they have no objection if Padmanabha is permitted to take up a correspondence course in law.

Justice K.L. Manjunath adjourned further hearing in the case.

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