Plaudits for a prosecutor’s social commitment

Retiring Deputy Director of Prosecution P. Premnath’s contributions to victimology as a branch of criminology in the country became a topic of discussion at the meeting.

On Sunday evening, a bevy of Palakkad’s socialites gathered at Top-in-Town here to bid farewell to a prosecutor. From the speeches some of them made, including chief guest former High Court judge Chettur Sankaran Nair, it was clear that the retiring Deputy Director of Prosecution P. Premnath deserved much more as a social worker.

The adulatory words usually heard in farewell functions apart, Mr. Premnath’s contributions to victimology as a branch of criminology in the country became a topic of discussion at the meeting. Although former police chief V.N. Rajan, who died in Chennai two years ago, is widely considered as the father of victimology in India, it was Mr. Premnath who displayed the courage to put it to practice, said Mr. Sankaran Nair.

Underscoring the necessity of bringing about some drastic changes in the current juridical system, Mr. Sankaran Nair said that the current system was not victim oriented. “Rather, it is accused centric. This should change,” he said.

Eleven years ago, Mr. Premnath was instrumental in giving shape to an organisation exclusively for the welfare of the victims of crimes and excesses. It was the first such in the country. For about nine years, the Victims Information, Sensitisation, Welfare and Assistance Society (VISWAS) worked from Palakkad helping victims of various excesses and crimes. Today, VISWAS India stands tall and unique with branches in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kottayam. Mr. Premnath leads the organisation as its pan-India secretary general.

Senior Chamber International and Oisca International too joined hands with VISWAS to accord Mr. Premnath the farewell. VISWAS India vice president B. Jayarajan presided over the function. Oisca district president K.R. Chandran, former diplomat Sreekumar Menon, Assistant Superintendent of Police K.L. Radhakrishnan, Sauhradavedi chairman Mahadevan Pillai, Bar Association president C.G. Haridas, and Palakkad Press Club president N. Ramesh were among those who spoke.

A master trainer with the Central Home Department, Mr. Premnath has offered more than 1,500 classes across the country in various aspects of criminology. He was the sole Indian prosecutor to attend the 28th meeting of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) held in London in September last year.