Bail to convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: Files sent to President in January 2021, Madras High Court told

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The Madras High Court on Thursday, while considering the writ petition of Nalini Sriharan, one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case stated that the files relating to all seven convicts have been forwarded by the Tamil Nadu Governor to the President on January 27, 2021.

A bench of Justice MN Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy directed the Advocate General to ascertain whether Nalini was punished for the offenses under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act [TADA].

Sriharan is currently serving life imprisonment at the Special Prison for Women in Vellore.

Earlier on April 7, 2022, Advocate General (AG) R Shanmugasundaram submitted to the bench that the convict's files seeking premature release had been forwarded to the then Governor in January 2021.

The submission made by the AG was in response to a query raised by the bench on March 30, 2022.

The seven convicts serving life imprisonment are Murugan, Santhan, A G Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran, and Nalini. In March, Perarivalan was granted bail by the Supreme Court. Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bomb attack at Sriperumbudur in May 1991.

The bench adjourned the matter till April 25, 2022.

Cases: W.P.No.7615 of 2022 and W.M.P.SR.No.28812 of 2022 and W.P.(MD).No.16658 of 2020