Education before crime: Delhi court grants permission to prisoner to appear in law entrance exam

A Delhi court on Wednesday granted permission to a prisoner, undergoing jail term for murder, to appear in the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET), conducted by National Law University (NLU), scheduled to be held on June 26. The petitioner`s counsel submitted that the accused had applied for the AILET exam for pursuing BA, LLB (Hons).

Vacation Judge Chandra Shekhar of Rouse Avenue Court observed that as per law, the right to education is a fundamental right and the judicial record shows that a similar request, made by the accused last year, was allowed by the court concerned. "Therefore, it seems that it is in the interest of justice," the court noted.

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The court directed the Jail superintendent of Dasana Jail, where applicant Shashank Jadon is lodged presently, to make necessary arrangements to ensure his appearance at the examination centre. He is also directed to allow the accused to carry the necessary documents mentioned as "Instructions to candidates" on the admit card. The court further directed the Superintendent to file a compliance report of its order on June 28.

Opposing the plea, the public prosecutor sought time to file a reply in the matter. However, the court noted that the CBI has not filed any reply to an earlier notice in the matter and there is no point in granting further time to it for filing a reply.

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