SC adjourns hearing on Nalini's plea seeking premature release

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned to October 17 the hearing on the plea filed by Nalini Sriharan, serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking premature release.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and B V Nagarathna could not take up the matter due to paucity of time.

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday had favoured the premature release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts Sriharan and R P Ravichandran, saying its 2018 aid and advice for remission of their life sentence is binding upon the governor.

In two separate affidavits, Tamil Nadu government told the top court that in the cabinet meeting held on September 9, 2018, it had considered mercy petitions of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and resolved to recommend the governor for remission of their life sentences by invoking Article 161 of the Constitution.

Nalini, Santhan, Murugan, AG Perarivalan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran were sentenced to life terms and spent over 23 years in jail.

The state government had said it is the competent authority to take a decision on the petition filed by Nalini and Ravichandran under Article 161 and "the decision of the state cabinet dated September 9, 2018 thereon is final and it can be exercised by governor of Tamil Nadu as per the aid and advice of the cabinet".