Kochi: Titu Jerome, a convict in the 2018 Kevin honour killing case, was brutally assaulted inside the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail, as per the report submitted to the High Court. He claimed that jail personnel had thrashed him on New Year.
Titu is suspected to have suffered renal injuries and was admitted to the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on the recommendation of a fact-finding team that included doctors.
The Thiruvananthapuram Additional District Judge N Seshadrinathan submitted the fact-finding report to the High Court.
Assault marks were found on Titu's body, as per the report. Titu disclosed to Seshadrinathan that certain jail officers had assaulted him on January 1 over liquor consumption by some convicts on Christmas eve.
The court has ordered that a Jail ADGP or a police officer not below the rank of DIG should carry out a probe into the incident and submit a report to the District Judge by 12 noon on Saturday.
The court also instructed to deploy a guard to ensure his protection and detention. Special instructions were also given that officers from the police force should be given the security charge and none from the jail department should be allowed access.
Court intervention on parents' plea
Titu's parents Jerome Kochukutty and Valsamma had filed a petition in the HC, alleging that Titu was brutally assaulted in the jail and that they were not permitted to meet him. The division bench, comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice M R Anitha, took action after considering their petition.
As per the HC directives, the Additional District Judge and medical team went to the prison around 3:30pm on Friday, carried out the examination and submitted a report to the court within hours. The Justices spoke to the District Judge over the phone and ensured that Titu was admitted to the hospital.
Dr Sajeev and Dr Gopalakrishnan, deputed by the District Medical Officer, were also part of the team.
The case would be considered next on January 11.
Kevin Joseph, a 24-year-old Dalit Christian youth from Kottayam, was abducted and killed by a gang engaged by his wife's brother in May 2018. In August 2019, the Kottayam Municipal Sessions Court had awarded double life sentence to all 10 convicts in the case.
