One of the seven convicts, Nalini Sriharan had sought for an early release of all seven convicts. However, the Madras high court dismissed the plea. All seven are serving life term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case
Chennai: The Madras high court on Thursday (August 29) dismissed Nalini Sriharan's plea seeking premature release of seven convicts, including herself, in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
Nalini had petitioned the court, seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu governor to take a decision on its September 2018 recommendation for premature release of all the seven convicts serving a lifeterm in the case.
A division bench of Justice R Subbaiah and Justice C Saravanan, while dismissing the petition, said in the order, "Already the council of ministers recommended to the governor for premature release of Nalini and six others... while so, issuing a mandamus directing them to consider her representation does not arise."
Nalini is now out on parole and it has extended by two weeks for her daughter’s wedding. The convict had sought a six-month parole that was earlier rejected. She was then granted parole for a month but she later petitioned for a two week’s extension.
The parole was granted with several conditions such as Nalini must not meet any media houses or politicians during her parole.
Nalini had filed the petition on the basis of a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu government on September 9, 2018, recommending to Governor Banwarilal Purohit premature release of all the seven convicts.
The Cabinet had recommended to the governor the release of Nalini, her husband Sriharan alias Murugan, Perarivalan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar, Ravichandran and Santhan.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber on May 21, 1991, during an election rally near Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
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