INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Santhan alias Suthenthiraraja, one of the seven life convicts granted premature release in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has
requested the Sri Lankan President to help him return to the island nation and live there with his aged mother.In a petition sent to the
Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Santhan said he was now lodged in the Tiruchi special camp where foreign nationals facing criminal
charges or having no valid documents are kept.Since he could not meet his mother during his 32 years of incarceration, in the Rajiv Gandhi
assassination case, he appealed to the president to allow him to visit Sri Lanka and take care of his mother
Petitions for renewal of his national identity card and passport were pending with the High Commission, he said.While A.G
Jayakumar, Santhan, Murugan and B
the release of the seven life convicts; but the Governor, instead of taking a decision, referred the matter to the Centre
Finally, the Supreme Court exercised extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and ordered the release of the life
convicts.Robert Payas and Jeyakumar, also Sri Lankan nationals who have been kept in the Tiruchi special camp, have decided not to return to
their home country, fearing a threat to their life.Both have moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court seeking relief
While Jeyakumar has sought to live with his family in Chennai, Payas has said life in the special camp is miserable and hopeless and he may
be permitted to join his kin in The Netherlands or any other country close to it.Source: The Hindu--Agencies
