Koodathayi serial murder accused Jolly Joseph pursues BA History from prison

Kannur: Jolly Joseph, the prime accused in the notorious Koodathayi cyanide serial murder case, is currently working towards earning a university degree in History. She is appearing for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History examinations conducted by the Indira Gandhi National National Open University (IGNOU).

Jolly is currently a second-year student. Out of eight academic papers in the current module, she has only one examination left to write, having successfully passed all her first-year papers previously.

She is not alone in her academic pursuits; another inmate at the Central Prison is also sitting the BA History examinations, while 35 other inmates are appearing for equivalency exams. Following a High Court directive emphasising that education is vital for the rehabilitation and reformation intended by a prison sentence, a growing number of inmates have been enrolling for higher studies.

Jolly, who is undergoing trial as an undertrial prisoner, was heavily escorted under special security from the Kozhikode Sub-Jail to the Kannur Women's Prison last week specifically to facilitate her university examinations.

She will remain at the Kannur facility until her exam schedule concludes. Prison authorities noted that she is also being provided with regular psychological counselling as she has been suffering from clinical depression.