On Friday, the Kerala High Court cleared the path for a person convicted of murder to proceed with the enrollment process for a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) program.

A panel consisting of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Kauser Edappagath has issued an order instructing KMCT Law College in Kuttipuram to facilitate the required procedures for the convict, Pattakka Suresh Babu, to finalize his admission online no later than Saturday, October 7.

The order specifies that the petitioner/appellant's admission formalities for the 3-year LLB course at KMCT Law College, Kuttipuram, will take place online tomorrow, on October 7, 2023, at 12:00 noon. The Jail Superintendent from the Open Prison and Correctional Home in Cheemeni, Kannur, is tasked with coordinating with the Principal of KMCT Law College to ensure the required arrangements are made for a video conference.

Babu was found guilty and received a life sentence for committing crimes that fall under Sections 143, 148, 341, 307, and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, in conjunction with Section 149.

He has already served five years of his imprisonment and is currently serving the remainder of his sentence at the Open Prison and Correctional Home located in Cheemeni, Kannur.

Babu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics (BA) and has also successfully completed a distance education program in Sociology (MA) from Indira Gandhi National Open University while serving his sentence. Subsequently, he successfully passed the law entrance examination and gained admission to KMCT Law College. In order to finalize his admission and pursue his LL.B. studies, Babu filed a petition in the High Court, seeking bail.

The High Court engaged in discussions with the Controller of Examinations and the Principal of the college to assess the possibility of conducting the admission procedure and permitting Babu to pursue his course online.

Both the Controller of Examinations and the Principal of the college assured the Court that the admission process could be conducted online, and they committed to making the necessary arrangements. In light of this, the Court issued instructions to the jail and college authorities to facilitate the online admission process as per their commitments.

The Principal of the college informed the Court that she would consult with college authorities and present a proposal regarding Babu's online course pursuit during the next hearing, which is slated for October 25th.

Case: Pattakka Suresh Babu v. State of Kerala, CRL.M.APPL.NO.3/2023 IN CRL.A NO.740 of 2018.