MHC to TN govt: Explain difficulties in bringing Nalini to court
Hearing the plea of Nalini Sriharan, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Madras High Court, on Tuesday (June 11), questioned the Tamil Nadu government about the difficulties in producing Nalini before the court.
In response, the public prosecutor told the court that there were security risks in bringing her to the court. When Nalini’s counsel argued that it was the right of any prisoner to argue the case in person, the court took note of it and directed the public prosecutor to file a written reply in this regard.
Thereafter the matter was posted for June 18.
In early April, Nalini had filed a habeas corpus plea, seeking its permission for her personal appearance before the court to argue a petition seeking leave to make arrangements for her daughter’s marriage.
According to the plea, Nalini had not availed any ordinary leave for more than two decades during which she had been in jail. The plea sought six months leave to make arrangements for her daughter Harithra’s marriage, who is currently with her grandparents.
During the course of the hearing the state government contended that Nalini had not furnished enough details about her daughter’s marriage to help it decide on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Rajiv Gandhi case convicts completed 29 years in prison on Tuesday.
Arputham Ammal, mother of one of the convicts AG Perarivalan, who has been running from pillar to post to bring her son out of jail, put out a series of tweets expressing her sorrow over her son’s continuous incarceration. “In the 28 years, I have seen what the rule of law is,” she said in her tweet. She also asked in her tweet whether the law and justice are only for the rich and powerful people, with a hashtag #29yearstoomuchgovernor
In a related development, speculation is rife that Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit who is already in Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amith Shah is expected to discuss the issue with them.
