CHENNAI: Nalini Sriharan, her husband V. Sriharan alias Murugan and three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were released from Tamil Nadu prisons on Saturday evening. Immediately after she was released from the special prison for women in Vellore, Nalini went to the Vellore central prison from where her husband was released and became emotional upon seeing him.
Murugan, along with Santhan, both Sri Lankan nationals, were taken in a police vehicle to the special refugee camp in Tiruchirappalli. Two other Lankan nationals -- Robert Payas and Jayakumar -- released from the Puzhal prison here, were also taken to the camp.
On being freed, Nalini met a crush of people outside prison. She said, “I am thankful to the people of Tamil Nadu who supported me for 32 years. I thank both, the state and Union government. I will speak about the rest in Chennai tomorrow during press meet. Supreme Court lawyers will also speak tomorrow.”
Earlier, a convict who was set free in May earlier, A.G. Perarivalan, along with his mother Arputhammal, received the duo at the Puzhal prison.
The prison officials set into motion the process of releasing all six of them including four Sri Lankan nationals, following the receipt of the Supreme Court's Friday order setting them at liberty.
The Supreme Court on Friday set free Nalini Sriharan and five convicts, who are serving life terms for about three decades in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, noting that its earlier order releasing Perarivalan was equally applicable to them.
Earlier in the day, with relief writ large on her face, Nalini, on parole for a month, was escorted by the police to sign at the Katpadi police station. Late in the afternoon, she was taken to the Vellore prison to complete the formalities pertaining to her release.
Similarly, the Supreme Court's order copies were sent to the Puzhal and Madurai central prisons where the remaining persons have been lodged.
