The Supreme Court has stayed the execution of the death sentence given to Assam native Ameer ul-Islam, who was convicted for the rape and murder of a law student eight years ago.
In May this year, the Kerala High Court confirmed the death sentence on the migrant labourer who was found guilty of committing the crime at Perumbavoor on April 28, 2016.
However, a three-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justices B R Gavai, Sanjay Karol and K V Viswanathan has sought a report on the psychological evaluation of the convict, who filed an appeal.
The convict was provided legal assistance by Project 39A, which is a criminal justice research and litigation centre of the National Law University, Delhi.
The state has been given eight weeks to collect reports from probation officers and the Superintendent of Central Prison, Viyyur, on the convict's conduct and behaviour in jail.
The Government Medical College in Thrissur has been directed to constitute a team to conduct a psychological evaluation of the convict. The institution also has eight weeks to prepare its report.
According to Live Law, Nuriya Ansari of Project 39A has been granted permission to conduct multiple in-person interviews (and audio-record them) with the convict and submit a Mitigation Investigation Report within 12 weeks. The SC bench has directed the Central Prison to facilitate a separate area for the interviews. Prison officials and police personnel should not be present "within earshot" of the interviews, the bench ruled.
The prosecution had convinced the trial court that Ameer ul-Islam barged into the victim's house and committed the crimes. He brutally attacked the 30-year-old victim with a knife. He was awarded the death sentence in December 2017.
