‘Ripper’ Jayanandan, a man serving multiple sentences for a series of homicides and was accused of killing seven persons, has been granted parole for two days - March 21 and 22 - to attend his daughter’s wedding. Keerthi Jayanandan, his daughter who is a lawyer, appeared in the Kerala High Court and argued for his parole. Though 15 days parole was sought, the court granted only two days. On both the days he would be taken out with police escort from the Viyyur jail at 9am and taken back at 5pm.
Jayanandan had a total six cases against him for murdering nine persons out of which he was acquitted in three. He was convicted in two cases and a third case is yet to reach the trial stage. Jayanandan was never allowed parole in the last 16 years of imprisonment. The parole petition was filed by Jayanandan’s wife. Though a convict, the petitioner's husband also enjoys the facets of right to life and liberty within the limits of law, the court said. “Normally the opportunity to participate in the wedding of a daughter has to be treated as part of that liberty. When the statute permits the grant of emergency parole, there is no reason why such a facet of his liberty ought to be denied to him despite him being a convict," Justice Bechu Kurien Thomas said while granting parole, reports Live Law. Jayanandan is serving three sentences of life imprisonment. Also the prosecution informed the court that Jaynandan had escaped from the jail twice while he was serving the imprisonment in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.
According to the prosecution, Jayanandan was arrested after his seventh murder. On August 1, 2005, Subhashakan, a security guard, was found dead in a pool of blood in Paravur of Ernakulam. Police were clueless who the culprit was but a year later in October 2006, in Nedumpally, a couple was brutally assaulted, leading to the death of a woman. Police said that this was his seventh murder. He was arrested in 2007. All murders were committed between 2003 to 2006. In 2021, police said Jayanandan had committed another twin murder at Ponekkara near Edappally in Ernakulam in 2004.
Twin siblings Narayana Iyyer and Narayani Ammal aged 74 were killed and around 44 sovereigns of gold were stolen in 2004. S Sreejith, Crime Branch ADGP, told the media in December 2021 that the murders were committed by Jayanandan. The case was re-investigated based on statements made by Jayanandan to his cell mates.
Most of his alleged victims were elderly people and there were burglaries in all cases.