A prisoner serving life sentence in the Gujarat High Court sought temporary bail to complete the mandatory internship of BA. During the hearing, the university told that internship can be done even from jail, after which the court asked to make necessary arrangements.
Ahmedabad: A unique case came to light in the Gujarat High Court, where a prisoner serving a life sentence wanted to do internship to complete his graduation. The prisoner sought temporary bail for this, but during the hearing it was suggested that if internship is possible through virtual medium then necessary facilities can be provided within the jail itself.
Prisoner reaches court to complete studies
26-year-old Bhupat Rabari, lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Central Jail, is continuing his studies these days. Bhupat, who has reached the final stages of his graduation course, approached the Gujarat High Court seeking permission to complete the internship required to obtain a BA degree.
In the petition, he said that as per the rules of the university, he will not be able to get the degree without completing the internship. Therefore, he should be granted temporary bail for some time so that he can complete the necessary process.
University put forward alternative suggestion
During the hearing of the case, Gujarat University told the court that internship is mandatory in BA course, but it can be completed even while in jail. After this argument of the university, the matter took a new turn.
The hearing court considered that if completion of internship is allowed through technical means then there will be no need to go out of jail for this. After this, the temporary bail petition filed by the prisoner was withdrawn.
Is serving sentence in kidnapping and ransom case
Bhupat Rabari was convicted in a kidnapping and ransom case in 2018. In the year 2020, the Sessions Court had sentenced him to life imprisonment. Currently he is serving his sentence in Sabarmati Central Jail.
He continued his education while in prison. Earlier he was a science student, but later took admission in BA course in Gujarat University as an external student. Recently he was also granted limited period bail to appear for the sixth semester examination.
Discussion on internet facility
During the hearing, the prisoner’s lawyer drew the court’s attention that if the internship is to be done through online medium, then internet facility would be required in the jail. Generally prisoners are not allowed to use internet, hence necessary instructions were demanded to be given in this regard.
The court said that if the university allows virtual internship then the jail administration can make necessary arrangements. The court believed that an appropriate solution could be found within the rules available to promote education and reformative activities.
Important signs towards education and improvement
This case also brings to the fore issues related to education and rehabilitation of prisoners lodged in jails. Experts believe that education can be an important part of the process of rehabilitation of prisoners and their return to the mainstream of society.
Although the court refused to grant bail, it took a positive stance on the possibility of completing the internship within the jail. Now it has to be seen how the university and the jail administration together implement this system, so that the prisoner can complete his studies.
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