The Govt. of Tamil Nadu has filed a petition with the High Court of Madras informing it that as the case involving the seven main accused in the 1991 assassination of former prime-minister Rajiv Gandhi is still sub-judice, Nalini (one of the seven main accused) can’t be released from prison at this juncture.

Nalini, her husband Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Robert Paes, Jayakumar and Ravichandran were the seven main accused found guilty in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, which made waves in 1991. The death sentence awarded to them was later reduced to life sentence even as all the seven accused have been toiling in various prisons for the past 26 years.

Centre challenged in Supreme Court the Govt. of Tamil Nadu’s earlier order releasing them. In the meantime, Nalini filed a petition a few months back with the High Court of Chennai requesting that she should be released from prison immediately on humanitarian grounds as she had been in prison for the past 26 years and had conducted herself in an exemplary manner.

The High Court said that the Govt. could decide about releasing her based on the verdict given by the Supreme Court on the Centre’s appeal. TN Home Secretary filed a reply petition with the High Court stating that as the case was sub-judice, the State can’t release her from prison immediately.