Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday allowed a convict in the 7/11 serial train blasts case to appear for a paper in the second semester law examination from Nashik Central Jail.
Convict Mohammad Sajid Margoob Ansari had sought permission to appear in the second semester law examination conducted by Siddharth Law College in south Mumbai from May 3 to May 15.
The court had in May allowed him to physically appear for the examination and directed the Nashik Central Jail authorities to produce him at the college on the dates of the examination.
On May 10, Ansari filed an application claiming that he could not appear for some papers as they could not be submitted to the college on time. Jail officials said that despite genuine efforts, Ansari could not be produced before the college on time.The HC had then asked Mumbai University to consider whether Ansari could be allowed to appear for the online examination.
On Monday, university counsel Rui Rodrigues informed the bench that Ansari could be allowed to appear in the remaining paper scheduled for June 12 from Nashik jail itself.
Rodrigues told the court that university officials, after discussions with prison authorities and state anti-terrorism squad officials, had agreed to send an observer to the prison on the day of the exam.
He said that the question paper will also be emailed to the general mail address of the jail and the email address of the jail superintendent.
Ansari can answer his papers from inside the jail from 10.30 am to 12 noon, after which his answer papers will be sealed by the invigilator and personally handed over to the principal of Siddharth Law College, he said.The bench accepted this arrangement.
The court also took note of an affidavit filed by the DIG (Prisons) that a policy may be made on the issue of conducting examinations for prisoners in the jails themselves to avoid such applications in future.
The court said that this is a positive stand taken by the prison department and said that a mechanism can be devised on this issue.
The court said that it will hear the matter further on July 1.
Additional public prosecutor Mankhuwar Deshmukh, appearing for the jail authorities, said taking prisoners convicted of serious crimes out of jail raises security concerns.
While Rodrigues said this should not be taken as a precedent, the HC questioned why this should not be the case.The bench quipped, "Why not? If people want to improve their educational qualifications then why not? We want more lawyers."
In September 2015, a special court had sentenced Ansari to life imprisonment in the serial blasts case. In 2015, he got permission from the court to pursue a law degree, while in 2023, he got permission to appear for the first semester examination.
The prosecution had opposed his plea, claiming he was a high-risk prisoner convicted of serious charges.
On 11 July 2006, serial bomb blasts occurred in seven suburban trains of Western Railway, killing 189 passengers and injuring 824.
Convict Mohammad Sajid Margoob Ansari had sought permission to appear in the second semester law examination conducted by Siddharth Law College in south Mumbai from May 3 to May 15.
The court had in May allowed him to physically appear for the examination and directed the Nashik Central Jail authorities to produce him at the college on the dates of the examination.
On May 10, Ansari filed an application claiming that he could not appear for some papers as they could not be submitted to the college on time. Jail officials said that despite genuine efforts, Ansari could not be produced before the college on time.The HC had then asked Mumbai University to consider whether Ansari could be allowed to appear for the online examination.
On Monday, university counsel Rui Rodrigues informed the bench that Ansari could be allowed to appear in the remaining paper scheduled for June 12 from Nashik jail itself.
Rodrigues told the court that university officials, after discussions with prison authorities and state anti-terrorism squad officials, had agreed to send an observer to the prison on the day of the exam.
He said that the question paper will also be emailed to the general mail address of the jail and the email address of the jail superintendent.
Ansari can answer his papers from inside the jail from 10.30 am to 12 noon, after which his answer papers will be sealed by the invigilator and personally handed over to the principal of Siddharth Law College, he said.The bench accepted this arrangement.
The court also took note of an affidavit filed by the DIG (Prisons) that a policy may be made on the issue of conducting examinations for prisoners in the jails themselves to avoid such applications in future.
The court said that this is a positive stand taken by the prison department and said that a mechanism can be devised on this issue.
The court said that it will hear the matter further on July 1.
Additional public prosecutor Mankhuwar Deshmukh, appearing for the jail authorities, said taking prisoners convicted of serious crimes out of jail raises security concerns.
While Rodrigues said this should not be taken as a precedent, the HC questioned why this should not be the case.The bench quipped, "Why not? If people want to improve their educational qualifications then why not? We want more lawyers."
In September 2015, a special court had sentenced Ansari to life imprisonment in the serial blasts case. In 2015, he got permission from the court to pursue a law degree, while in 2023, he got permission to appear for the first semester examination.
The prosecution had opposed his plea, claiming he was a high-risk prisoner convicted of serious charges.
On 11 July 2006, serial bomb blasts occurred in seven suburban trains of Western Railway, killing 189 passengers and injuring 824.
