State told to respond on plea to shift convict from Kovai to Puzhal jail

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the State to respond to a petition seeking the transfer of a convict from Coimbatore prison to Puzhal, alleging Coimbatore jail superintendent Senthilkumar posing life threat to the convict.

Petitioner Divya, the wife of a convict Kalimuthu from Tiruchy moved the High Court seeking to direct the State to transfer her husband to Puzhal prison as the Coimbatore prison superintendent is posing a threat to her husband. The case was listed before a vacation bench comprising Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy and Justice V Lakshminarayanan.According to the petitioner, her husband was arrested by Madurai police in 2020 and detained in Coimbatore prison, and later transferred to Tiruchy prison.

The petitioner said in Tiruchy, the then superintendent Senthilkumar had a quarrel with her husband. Incidentally, Senthilkumar is now the superintendent of Coimbatore prison and the threat persists.

After the quarrel in Tiruchy her husband was shidted to a special sub-jail, Poonamallee, Chennai, due to the threat to his life by the superintendent, contended the petitioner. In 2023, Kalimuthu was transferred back to the Coimbatore prison, where Senthilkumar is now posted as prison superintendent, said the petitioner.

As there is a previous enmity between her husband and the superintendent, the petitioner alleges a life threat and has sought transfer of her husband to Puzhal prison. After the submission, the bench directed the State to respond to the petition and adjourned the matter.