The Madras High Court has dismissed a plea regarding the early release of Nalini and P Ravichandran, both of whom were convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had evoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to release AG Perarivalan, who had also been convicted for the assassination of the former Prime Minister. The Madras High Court pointed out that it does not have similar powers to release Nalini and Ravichandran, adding that the petitioners could approach the Supreme Court if their plea was based on Perarivalan’s release.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber of the LTTE at an election meeting in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur in 1991. Seven people — Murugan alias Sriharan, Nalini, AG Perarivalan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and P Ravichandran were convicted that same year. After the Supreme Court ordered the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Perarivalan in May this year, many hoped that the other convicts in the case would similarly be released.
Speaking to IANS at the time, Nalini's mother Padma Sankaranarayanan had said, “After the release of Perarivalan, I am convinced that Nalini will be released soon. Arputhamal, Perarivalan's mother, has gone through a lot of trauma and her relentless struggle and fight for his release paid off finally. I expect that Nalini will also be released soon."
Nalini's mother said that it was the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi who had commuted her death sentence to life as she had a child. Padma also said that she had high hopes on the statement of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin that the state government would work for the release of all the other six convicts who are jailed in the case.
Watch: TNM's interview with Perarivalan
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