The Advisory Board formed to consider the plea of Nalini, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case, for her premature release, would submit its report to the Tamil Nadu government in a few days.
The government constituted board, headed by District Collector C. Rajendran, had met for over three hours on Wednesday and heard Nalini on her plea at Vellore women’s prison, where she is lodged. The meeting went on till late in the night.
Mr. Rajendran told reporters this morning that board members have to sit and prepare the report. However, it was for the state government to decide on its recommendations. “We will be sending our report in a few days,” he said.
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“According to the jail memorandum, there are some criteria for consideration of early release of prisoners.
According to that, we have discussed,” he said.
The board also heard the pleas of two other convicts in the case, Jayakumar and Robert Payas, seeking premature release, at the men’s prison.
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District Superintendent of Police, Shekhar, District Judge Kalaiarasan, Regional Probational Officer of Prisons, Krishnamma Namagiri and Lecturer from Academy of Prisons and Correctional Activities, Julie, are the other board members.
Nalini presented her case for over ten minutes before the board, which was set up following a direction from the Madras High Court on September 24, 2008 while partly allowing a petition by her, to consider her request.
Her earlier request for premature release was rejected by the authorities concerned in October 2007.
Asked about the possibility of Nalini being freed, her counsel S. Doraiswamy said, “No, there is no such news. Yesterday, the committee met. They will be forwarding their recommendation only in the course of the day.”