CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday refused to extend the parole granted to S Nalini, one of the seven life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. When her plea seeking to extend the parole further till October 15 to make arrangements for her daughter’s marriage came up for hearing, a Division Bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and RMT Teekka Raman declined to extend the parole.
Nalini was earlier granted one month parole (Ordinary leave) on July 25 and it was extended by three weeks on August 22. Since the extended parole period was to expire on September 19, she moved the present plea seeking extension till October 15. Refusing her plea, the Bench said “we have already granted enough leave and it cannot be extended any further”. “We cannot go beyond the rule and keep extending the leave”, the Bench added.
On a suggestion from the Bench, Nalini’s counsel M Radhakrishnan withdrew the plea following which it was dismissed as withdrawn.
In her plea filed yesterday for further extension of parole, Nalini said the court had granted her one month’s ordinary leave to make arrangements for the marriage of her daughter who was residing in the United Kingdom.
Though the convict had been staying along with her mother at Sathuvachari in Vellore ever since she was granted leave and had been taking steps to make arrangements for the marriage, nothing fruitful could be achieved so far due to the delay in arrival of her mother-in-law from Sri Lanka due to visa related issues, she claimed.
Since her father-in-law was a cancer patient, she said her mother-in-law’s presence was essential to complete the arrangements.
She submitted that her mother-in-law would get the visa soon and arrive by the third week of September and prayed for extending her ordinary leave till October 15. Though she had made a representation in this regard to the Vellore prison officials on September four, it was rejected on September five following which filed the present petition. On July 25, Nalini was released on a month’s parole (ordinary leave) to make arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. While granting parole, the court imposed a condition that Nalini should not meet any political party leaders or give any interview to media.
On July five, the Madras High Court granted one month parole to Nalini after she argued her case in person. Vellore Prison authorities produced Nalini before the Bench when her plea, seeking parole (Ordinary leave) for six months to make arrangements for her daughter’s marriage and also to argue the case in person, came up for hearing. During the arguments, the state government submitted that a maximum of one month parole only could be granted to her at a time, to which Nalini argued that one month would not suffice and that she needed six months leave.
Nalini said she and her husband Murugan, were in jail for the last 28 years and that her daughter was also born in Jail. She said as parents they could not grow up their daughter with love and affection and that she was brought up by elders. After hearing both sides, the court granted one month parole to her and it was extended by another three weeks on August 22. (agencies)
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