The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Nalini’s plea for release from jail.
Nalini, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case along with six others, is currently lodged in Vellore Central Prison in Tamil Nadu.
On February 18 this year, the apex court had commuted the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan (both Sri Lankan Tamils) and AG Perarivalan on the ground of 11 years delay in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre. Besides the three, Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran were the other four convicts whose release was announced by the Tamil Nadu government.
On February 19, then Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa announced their immediate release from prison prematurely by invoking provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Assailing the decision, the Centre rushed to the Supreme Court, which stayed their release and constituted a Constitutional Bench to look into the matter. .
It had also rejected the Centre’s submission that there was no unreasonable delay in deciding their mercy plea and that the condemned prisoners did not go through agonising experience as they were enjoying life behind the bars.