HC grants interim bail to life convict in 1996 murder of medical student

The Madras High Court granted interim bail to M. John David, who was involved in the 1996 murder of medical student Pon Navarasu. The court also ordered a reconsideration of the Governor’s refusal to allow his premature release. The petition was filed by his mother, Esther, who is a gynaecologist. The murder of Pon Navarasu had shocked the state in 1996, and John David was convicted in 1998 but acquitted in 2001 due to lack of evidence. However, the Supreme Court reversed the acquittal in 2011. The High Court’s decision brings a new twist to this long legal battle.