Chennai: S. Nalini, serving life sentence in Vellore prison for her involvement in Rajiv Gandhi assassination, on Monday filed a petition in the Madras high court to direct the prison superintendent, to grant three days’ leave from March 8 to 10 to her for attending the 16th day obsequies of her father at Kottur here.
The petition filed by Nalini is likely to come up for hearing Tuesday. In her petition, Nalini submitted that the state government framed a scheme of premature release of life convicts in 1994 for release of life convicts who had completed 20 years of actual imprisonment on humanitarian grounds under Art. 161 of the Constitution.
Under the said scheme, some of the life convicts who had completed 20 years of actual imprisonment were being released by the government. Since her representation dated February 22, 2014 was pending with the government for a long time, she approached the high court for premature release and it was pending.
Her father Sankaranarayanan died on February 23, 2016, in Tirunelveli district and his body was brought to Chennai on February 24. She was granted parole by the prison superintendent for 12 hours from 8 am to 8 pm on February 24 for performing the last rites at Kottur in Chennai.
The funeral was around 3 p.m. on February 24. She attended the funeral with due escort between 10 am and 4 pm. She was taken back to prison the very same day and was lodged in prison around 7 p.m.
The 16th day obsequies of her father is scheduled for March 9. She made a representation to the prison superintendent to grant her three days’ leave. The official has not considered her representation so far. Hence, the present petition.
