Chennai: Today, i.e. on Tuesday, 8th March, the honourable High Court of Madras heard the parole petition filed by a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case- Nalini Sriharan. Justice R Mala, before whom the plea came up granted 24 hours’ parole starting from today at 4 PM to 4 PM tomorrow.
It is seen in her case, the father of the convict- Nalini Sriharan died last month and she has sought a parole of three- days so that she can attained the Sixteenth day ritual in the memory of her father. As such her petition for parole from Today till Thursday is today for hearing before the High Court of Madras. Moreover, as per the statements preferred by the Advocate- P. Pugalenthi representing convict- Nalini, he said that her client had applied to the Vellore jail authorities however, so far it is pending. It was earlier seen in the last month, on 24th day thereof, the convict Nalini was granted a 12- hour parole in her favour so that she could attend the final rites of her father. It was a day before to permission, her father died.
In the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the present convict- Nalini is one of the four convicts who were originally sentenced to death, however, her death punishment was sought to be commuted to life, when Congress leader/ wife of Rajiv Gandhi- Sonia Gandhi intervened. Also, it was seen that the honourable Apex Court, in the few years ago had also commuted the death punishment in to the life imprisonment, of the remaining convicts. Moreover, these convicts have already undergone 24 years behind the bars.
Moreover, it was also seen in the recent month that the honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu- J. Jayalalithaa had written to the Central Govt. the her Govt. has decided to release all seven life convicts in the case and further she sought Centre’s view on it. Earlier, in the year 2014, the same attempt was made, however, the then NDA Government refused it. Also, the present convict- Nalini has granted second time parole in her incarceration of 24 years.
Adv. Faim Khalilkhan Pathan