S. Nalini, a convict in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking an order from the Central and State Governments to permit her husband Murugan to attend an interview at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Chennai, thereby obtaining a passport to travel to the United Kingdom and reunite with his daughter residing there.
In the petition, Nalini highlighted that while the Supreme Court had released all seven individuals involved in the case, her husband Murugan remains detained in a special camp in Trichy district, Tamil Nadu, due to his Sri Lankan citizenship. Both Nalini and Murugan were released from incarceration following the Supreme Court’s order on November 12, 2022.
Nalini explained that they had applied for passports enabling travel to all countries and were summoned for an interview on January 30, 2024. Although Nalini’s interview was completed, Murugan couldn’t attend as summoned by the Sri Lankan Consulate.
Expressing concern over the deteriorating conditions in the camp, where two individuals had reportedly died within a month, Nalini stressed her urgency to join her daughter in London before any harm befalls her husband. Thus, she appealed to the Central and State Governments to grant permission for Murugan to attend the interview at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Chennai, also requesting adequate police security if necessary.
The bench comprising Justice MS Ramesh and Sundar Mohan at the Madras High Court is overseeing the plea. Justice Sundar Mohan announced his decision to recuse himself from the case, following which the registration department was instructed to seek the Chief Justice’s approval for listing Nalini’s case in another session. Nalini Sriharan, one of the six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who was released in November 2022, expressed gratitude towards the people of Tamil Nadu for their support over the past 32 years.
As the country’s longest-serving woman prisoner serving a life sentence, Nalini was released from Vellore jail pursuant to the Supreme Court’s order, which also liberated all six convicts involved in the case, including Nalini Sriharan.