Kerala HC orders release of two men who spent 13 years in Idukki murder case citing age during crime

The Kerala High Court has ordered the release of two men who were wrongly imprisoned for 13 years, having been arrested and detained as minors in the 2011 Idukki Palaniswami murder case.

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the release of two individuals who have been incarcerated for 13 years in connection with a murder case, despite being minors at the time of their arrest. The court also ordered disciplinary action against the investigating officers who failed to recognize and apply the protections afforded to minors.

The High Court intervened in the 2011 Idukki Palaniswami murder case, involving two boys aged 16 and 17 who were arrested and detained. A committee appointed by the National Legal Service Society discovered them in jail during a nationwide survey of juvenile inmates. Further investigation by the Thodupuzha Sessions Judge confirmed that the two men were minors at the time of the incident. The court found that the investigating officers, Circle Inspectors MV Joy and PT Krishnan Kutty, had engaged in serious misconduct by failing to recognize the boys' age and ordered disciplinary action against them.

The court has acknowledged that the two individuals, who were wrongly imprisoned for 13 years, are entitled to compensation. The case will be heard on the 15th to consider the arguments of the state government and police officials.