Rajiv Gandhi murder case: SC rejects Nalini's plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court rejected Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Nalini's plea for release from jail. Nalini, whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2000, had moved the Supreme Court challenging Section 435(1) of Criminal Procedure Code that mandated Tamil Nadu government to consult the Centre before releasing seven life convicts in the case. Nalini, along with six others, is currently lodged in Vellore Central Prison in Tamil Nadu. The accused in the Rajiv assassination case were convicted by the trial court on January 28, 1998. All were awarded death penalty. But, the SC on May 11, 1999 upheld the death sentence for four and awarded various jail terms to many while acquitting some.