VELLORE: Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was released on a month’s parole today from the Special Prison for Women in Vellore.
Straight from the prison, she drove to Rangapuram at Sathuvachari in Vellore city and stepped into a private house for her stay for a month. The house is owned by a leader of Dravida Iyakka Tamilar Peravai.
Nalini, a high-security prisoner, was escorted by a contingent of police personnel from the prison premises to the house at Rangapuram where her mother Padmavathi and three other relatives received her with traditional ‘arathi’, sources said.
Several policemen have been deployed in the house for protecting Nalini, who had to knock the doors of the Madras High Court for getting the parole to make arrangements for her daughter’s marriage. Nalini’s daughter studies medicine in the UK.
Her husband and Sri Lankan national Murugan alias Sriharan, and five others are also in the same prison serving life sentences after they were convicted in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi who was killed in a suicide bomb attack on May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur during electioneering.
Nalini got a death sentence for providing shelter to Rajiv Gandhi's assassin, but after intervention by Sonia Gandhi, it was commuted to life following the birth of her daughter Harithra Hariharan in jail.
She has been languishing behind the bars for about 28 years now.
“This is the first time Nalini has been granted ordinary parole,” P Pugalenthi, Nalini's advocate told Express.
He recalled that in 2016 she was granted 12-hour special parole to attend her father’s funeral, and later again for attending the 14th-day rites.
Pugalenthi said, “It was also through the court order, she was able to get special parole for attending the funeral of her father and subsequent rites.”
The Court issued orders granting Nalini a month’s parole after hearing her plea for three months.
It was initially stated that she would be released on parole last week but the procedure got delayed. Before completing the formalities, the Prison Department authorities sought reports from Vellore District Police and the Intelligence agencies, sources recalled.
As per the conditions of the parole, Nalini cannot move out of Vellore and is barred from speaking to media. She cannot meet political leaders as well.
(With inputs from online desk)