The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday granted special leave to Kala, wife of Manivasagam, a Maoist killed recently in an encounter by the Kerala police, to perform the final rites at his native place in Salem.
The sister of the deceased, Chandra, was also granted relief. Taking into consideration the circumstances of the case, a Division Bench of Justices S. Vaidyanathan and N. Anand Venkatesh granted special leave to the duo, currently lodged at the Tiruchi Central Prison. The court directed the police to escort them and told the Salem Superintendent of Police to ensure that law and order was maintained. Both Kala and Chandra were directed to stay at the house of Lakshmi, another sister of Manivasagam.
After final rites were completed on Thursday, whatever rituals that should be performed would be held in Lakshmi’s house, the bench ordered. No outsider shall be permitted to meet them and the police shall ensure the parolees do not have access to mobile phones or social media. The family members shall not give interviews to any media or news channels, the court said.
The court directed the police to escort them back to prison by 5.30 p.m. on November 17. The case was posted for reporting compliance on November 18. The court was hearing the petition filed by S. Anbarasan, a relative of Manivasagam, seeking parole for Kala and Chandra.
