Nalini Sriharan is one of the four convicts originally sentenced to death for the 1991 assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Chennai:
Nalini Sriharan, who is serving a life term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has been granted parole to conduct certain rituals following her father's death. But the Madras High Court, which issued the order, said she should not be speaking to the media during parole, which starts at 4 pm today.
"The court orally directed her to not speak to the media and to not come out of her house during this period," said her lawyer Pugalendhi.
Nalini had sought a three-day parole and after her father died last month. At the time, the 48-yaer-old, who is in Vellore central jail, had also appealed through the media to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, asking that she be released.
The release of the seven prisoners - convicted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 - had been a contentious issue between the Centre and the state.
A few days ago, Ms Jayalalithaa wrote to the Centre for the second time, conveying her government's decision to release all seven life convicts in the case and sought its views.
The state had first proposed to release the prisoners two years ago after the Supreme Court had commuted the death sentences of three of the seven convicts. But the Centre had vetoed it, contending that the state can't release the prisoners without its approval. Later, the Supreme Court stayed the state's decision and referred the matter to a Constitution Bench.
Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life term by the Tamil Nadu Governor in 2000 after Sonia Gandhi, the wife of Rajiv Gandhi, intervened, in the case when Nalini's daughter was born in jail.
In October 2014, the top court had dismissed her plea for release.
Nalini is one of the four convicts who were originally given death sentence. A few years ago, the top court had commuted the death sentence to life term for the other three, including Nalini's husband Murugan, citing inordinate delay by the President's Office in disposing their mercy petitions.
"The court orally directed her to not speak to the media and to not come out of her house during this period," said her lawyer Pugalendhi.
Nalini had sought a three-day parole and after her father died last month. At the time, the 48-yaer-old, who is in Vellore central jail, had also appealed through the media to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, asking that she be released.
The release of the seven prisoners - convicted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 - had been a contentious issue between the Centre and the state.
A few days ago, Ms Jayalalithaa wrote to the Centre for the second time, conveying her government's decision to release all seven life convicts in the case and sought its views.
The state had first proposed to release the prisoners two years ago after the Supreme Court had commuted the death sentences of three of the seven convicts. But the Centre had vetoed it, contending that the state can't release the prisoners without its approval. Later, the Supreme Court stayed the state's decision and referred the matter to a Constitution Bench.
Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life term by the Tamil Nadu Governor in 2000 after Sonia Gandhi, the wife of Rajiv Gandhi, intervened, in the case when Nalini's daughter was born in jail.
In October 2014, the top court had dismissed her plea for release.
Nalini is one of the four convicts who were originally given death sentence. A few years ago, the top court had commuted the death sentence to life term for the other three, including Nalini's husband Murugan, citing inordinate delay by the President's Office in disposing their mercy petitions.
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