Life convicts in Rajiv assasination case move HC

Chennai, July 7 (UNI) After Nalini, the prime accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assasination case, two more life convicts in the case, Robert Pyas and Jayakumar today moved the Madras High court, seeking pre-mature release.

In their petition, the two Sri Lankan nationals who were awarded life sentence by the Supreme Court, said that they had already served imprisonment for 17 years and they should be released at the earliest.

The convicts, presently lodged in the Vellore Central Prison, along with other convicts, contended that life sentence means only 14 years of imprisonment and they were entitled for early release.

Their conduct in the prison was good, they claimed.

When their petition came up for hearing, Mr Justice A Kulasekaran ordered notice to the Centre, State Governments and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had probed the assassination case, returnable in two weeks.

Nalini had filed a similar petition and the same was pending before the court. Meanwhile, Nalini's other petition filed in 2006 praying that she be released on the lines of Tamil Nadu Government releasing 472 life convicts in September 2006, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister C N Annadurai.

The petition came up for hearing before Mr Justice K Venkataraman, who posted the petition along with the main petition.

The Centre and State Governments and the prison authorities were yet to file counter affidavits on Nalin's petition.

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