Rajiv's assassin Nalini may be freed

After spending 19 years in the Vellore prison, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassin Nalini Sriharan may be released prematurely.An advisory board constituted by the Tamil Nadu government met in Vellore on Wednesday to consider the plea for Nalini's release.The board is also considering the premature release of ten others, three of whom pertain to the Rajiv Gandhi case.

The District Collector of Vellore who heads the committee is likely to forward its recommendation to the Tamil Nadu government. As the report is recommendatory in nature, the government can either accept or reject the suggestions.The Tamil Nadu government will take up the matter with the Centre before taking a final call.
Arrested on June 14, 1991, Nalini was sentenced to death, along with 25 others, by a special court on January 28, 1998. Her death sentence was commuted to life by the Tamil Nadu governor based on Nalini's clemency plea, Congress President Sonia Gandhi's statements and advice from the state cabinet, in April 2000.