MADURAI: In a compassionate gesture, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has permitted a life convict to meet his wife and newborn and spend a day with them.Justice K Venkataraman passed the orders, after Syed Ali Fathima, the 19-year-old wife of Sheik Sindha Madhar, sought the intervention of the court to grant parole to her husband to enable him to be with her at the time of childbirth.Sheik was sentenced to life term by a sessions court in 2002, for an offence he committed in 1999 and is currently lodged in Palayamkottai Central Prison.His subsequent appeal at the High Court against the life conviction was dismissed. Sheik’s appeal at the Supreme Court is pending. Sheik proposed marriage to Fathima last year while he was in the prison. After obtaining consent from Fathima and her family, his marriage to her was solemnised by the elders of Muslim Jamat on July 15 last year.Sheik was granted one month parole at the time of his marriage. In a representation made on April 5, 2012, Fathima told the authorities at Palayamkottai Central Prison that she was expecting her first child by the end of April. Since her parents live in Mumbai, she has no one to take care of her, she told them while requesting for her husband to be allowed on parole to be with her at the time of childbirth.But, her representation was not considered by the authorities prompting her to move the court.By the time the case reached the judge, Fathima had already given birth to her child. Therefore, the counsels appearing for the State pointed out that the reason for parole did not exist on date.However, Justice Venkataraman showing compassion to the convict and his wife, directed the jail authorities to allow Sheik to be with his wife and child for at least one day. Considering the situation, he also asked the police not to recover the charges for those who escort Sheik during his visit to home.
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