Madras HC rejects Rajiv's assassin's plea for release

Chennai, March 11 (IANS) The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

She had filed the habeas corpus petition seeking the court's direction to the Tamil Nadu government to release her instead of waiting for Governor Banwarilal Purohit's nod.

In her petition Nalini had said her imprisonment from September 9, 2018 is illegal as the Tamil Nadu government had passed a Cabinet resolution recommending the release of seven convicts, including her, in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

She had contended that the state cabinet had recommended their release under Article 161 of the Constituttion and the Governor was bound by it.

On its part the Tamil Nadu government said Nalini was not detained illegally and the Governor has to decide on the cabinet resolution.

The seven convicts are A.G. Perarivalan, V. Sriharan alias Murugan, T. Suthendraraja alais Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini Sriharan, wife of V. Sriharan. They include both Indians and Sri Lankans.

All the convicts have been in prison since 1991, the year a woman LTTE suicide bomber blew up herself, killing Rajiv Gandhi on the spot at an election rally near Chennai.