MHC directs State to fix appointment with SL High Commission for Murugan

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court (MHC) directed the Tiruchy collector to take steps to fix an appointment with the Sri Lankan High Commission, Chennai for Murugan, a released convict of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to secure all country passport.

S Nalini the wife of Srikaran alias Murugan moved the MHC seeking to direct the State to provide proper escort to her husband to reach the Sri Lankan High Commission at Chennai.

The case was listed before a division bench comprising Justice R Suresh Kumar and Justice K Kumaresh Babu.

The government advocate submitted that a proper escort will provide to Murugan to reach the High Commission from Tiruchy special camp on Monday.

The bench wondered that a division bench has already issued an order to a petition filed by Murugan on similar prayer and questioned the necessity for the second petition.

The petitioner submitted that on February 13 she approached the High Commission and tried to get an appointment for her husband to secure all country passport. However the High Commission refused to grant special appointment and told that any Sri Lankan national can reach the High Commission between 11 am to 1:30 pm on any working day, said the petitioner.

After the submission the judge directed the Tiruchy collector to take steps to fix an appointment with the High Commission for Murugan to secure the travel documents for him to travel United Kingdom (UK) and directed to file a report. The matter os posted to March 12 for compliance of court's order.

Petitioner S Nalini, stated in her petition that she and his husband Sriharan alias Murugan implicated in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case and incarcerated for nearly 32 years. We are seperated from our only daughter for three decades, due to this we have encountered all sufferings and pain which is unexplainable, said the petitioner.

After our release from the jail in 2022, my husband Murugan was detained in Tiruchy special camp, as he is a Sri Lankan national and his movement outside the camp is highly restricted, said the petitioner.

Since our daughter is living in UK, we decided to spend the rest of our lives peacefully with her.