Nalini meets her husband Murugan at Vellore Jail

Vellore Sept 10 : Nalini Sriharan, one of the key accused in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, who has spent 20 years in prison, met her husband Murugan at the Vellore jail on Saturday (Today). Nalini was shifted to Vellore jail from Chennai at her request on Sept 7.

Sources said that this is Nalini's first meeting with Murugan after president of India, Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petition on Aug 11, 2011. Nalini had not met her husband over the last one year.

Murugan is among the three convicts who were meant to be executed on Friday, Sept 9 2011 for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. An appeal against the hanging is being considered by the Madras high court and execution has been suspended to eight weeks.

Murugan and the others have said that the President of India took 11 years to down their mercy petitions, which appealed to change their punishment to life imprisonment which violates Article 21 of the Constitution (Protection of life and personal liberty).

In 1999, the Supreme Court of India had confirmed the death sentences of four convicts; Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan and Nalini. However, Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after an intervention by Sonia Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi's widow and the Chairperson of UPA government. Mrs Gandhi considered the mercy petitions soon after Nalini delivered a baby girl in jail.

OneIndia News