Nalini to approach High Court over release issue

Lifer in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case will challenge TN govt rejection of release plea

PTI | March 31, 2010



Rajiv Gandhi assassination lifer Nalini will move the Madras High Court against the Tamil Nadu government's decision to reject her plea for pre-mature release.

44-year-old Nalini conveyed her decision to her lawyer P Pugazhendhi, who met her at the high security women's special prison at Vellore last evening.

Pugazhendhi, who was the first to meet Nalini after the government's rejection of her plea, said she was shocked to hear about the decision, which was conveyed to the court on Monday through advocate general P S Raman.

The lawyer claimed that though the prison advisory board (PAB) committee members, who considered her premature release request, had given a report in her favour, the government has gone by a report of the Royapetta Police Station, which had anticipated law and order problem in the area if she was freed.

Though Nalini's mother and brother were staying in the area for over a decade, there was no law and order problem, he said, adding that Nalini felt that it was wrong on the part of the government to "totally rely" on the inspector's report to reject her request.

Nalini was sentenced to death by a special court along with 25 others in January 1998 in the assassination case and the Supreme Court had confirmed the capital punishment for her and three others.

However, her death penalty was commuted to life by the state government on April 24, 2000 allowing a clemency petition. Rajiv's widow and Congress President Sonia Gandhi had favoured reduction of her punishment considering the plight of Nalini's young daughter.

An earlier plea by Nalini for premature release was rejected by authorities in October 2007.

Comments

 

Other News

Trump’s China setback pushes US to woo India

A week after Donald Trump’s visit to China – the first by an American president in nine years, US secretary of state Marco Rubio arrived in India on May 23 on a four-day visit aimed at resetting Washington DC’s relations with New Delhi and attending the third Quad ministerial meeting.

EU–India FTA 2026: A high‑stakes prescription for Indian pharma and healthcare

India’s pharmaceutical industry stands as one of the world’s market leaders of generic pharmacy with market valuation of USD 50 billion in 2026. Characterised by high volume, low-cost generic manufacturing, with an annual growth rate of 10-12% primarily propelled by exports and domestic demand,

Legends, vignettes and tales from the freedom movement

Robin Hood of Kathiawar and Other Extraordinary Stories from India’s Freedom Movement By The Paperclip  HarperCollins, 348 pages, Rs 499  

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tells quirky tales from the world of law

The Lawful and the Awful: Quirky Tales from the World of Law By Tushar Mehta Rupa Publications, 336 pages, Rs 995  

Cabinet meet discussed `Ease of Living`, `Ease of Doing Business`

The Council of Ministers has deliberated upon valuable perspectives and best practices relating to boosting ‘Ease of Living’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business’, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.   As he shared details of the Council meeting held the d

India should deepen energy partnerships with Africa

The vulnerability of Strait of Hormuz continues to influence energy politics globally. India is highly dependent on imported crude oil as a significant portion of its oil imports still come from the Gulf ultimately making such disruptions particularly consequential and has immediate economic ramifications


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter