One of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Nalini Sriharan, walked out of Vellore Jail on Thursday, July 25. Nalini was granted parole of 30 days by the Madras High Court to make arrangements for her daughter Megara's wedding.
This is the first time that Nalini, who has been serving a life sentence for the past 28 years, has been granted month-long parole. Earlier, Nalini was granted 12-hour parole to attend the funeral of her father.
However, the Madras High Court has also issued a set of instructions to Nalini for the parole period. She is not allowed to leave Vellore and cannot meet political party leaders or speak to the press. She will stay in Vellore with her daughter Harithra Sriharan, mother Padmavati, sister Kalyani and brother Bhagyanathan, among other relatives.
On Thursday morning, Nalini was received by a relative outside the Vellore jail. Nalini gave birth to her daughter in the Vellore jail itself and she was raised in the UK. Her daughter, a medical professional, will join her next week.
Nalini's husband Murugan is also serving a life sentence in the same prison. Arrested in 1991, Nalini was sentenced to death by a TADA court and the Supreme Court. However, her death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment back in 2000.