Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Nalini moves SC seeking release

Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts who was serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on Thursday, approached the Supreme Court, seeking release from the prison-like fellow convict AG Perarivalan. Nalini has cited the judgment of the top court in the case of co-convict AG Perarivalan where he was released.

Earlier, Nalini had knocked the Madras High Court seeking the same relief, however, the High Court had refused to entertain the petition. The Madras High Court, while turning down the petition, had stated that it did not have special powers that the Supreme Court has under Article 142 of the Constitution and hence, it cannot order their release, as the Supreme Court did for Perarivalan in May 2022.

Earlier, P Ravichandran, another co-convict also approached the top court seeking relief. Ravichandran, who has been in jail for 30 years now, sought interim bail until his case for formal release reaches a conclusion. The High Court had said they could approach the Supreme Court if their plea was based on Perarivalan’s release.

On May 18, the Supreme Court had evoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to release AG Perarivalan, who was one of the seven convicts in the assassination case. Following Perarivalan’s release, Ravichandran had sent a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin seeking the release of the remaining six convicts, including him and mentioned that the Governor has kept the files of release without consideration for over three years which he condemns as an anti-constitutional approach.

Deciding Perarivalan’s plea for premature release from jail based on the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government in September 2018, the apex court ordered his release, while the six other convicts remain in jail. Ravichandran in his appeal against the High Court order has cited Perarivalan’s order of the apex court.

Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally. (ANI)

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