Murder convict moves HC seeking transfer of prison

The Madras High Court today ordered impleading of a top prison official from Odisha on a petition by a murder convict to expedite a decision on his plea for shifting him to a jail in his home state.
Justice S Vimala ordered the impleading of ADGP (Prisons), Odisha, allowing a prayer by the convict, serving his life imprisonment in the central prison here for last six years.
Niranjan Doss, Senior Superintendent of Prisons, Odisha and J Katikia, Additional Government Pleader of Odisha, were present in the court.
The petitioner had been convicted by a court in Ramanathapuram and sentenced to life imprisonment, which was upheld by the high court.

Initially, the petitioner had sought transfer to Magalapodah Central prison in Kendraporah district, but the Odisha government rejected his plea stating that there was no prison in the district.
The petitioner submitted that he could not attend his father's funeral nor look after his aged mother, wife and child who were struggling to make ends meet, without him.
The petitioner also submitted that he was willing to go to any prison in Odisha and as a decision on the matter could be be taken only by the ADGP (Prisons), he prayed the court to implead the ADGP.