Madras HC grants 30-day parole to Rajiv Gandhi killer Robert Payas

The Madras High Court on Thursday granted a 30-day parole to Robert Payas, one of the seven convicts serving a life term for the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

A division bench of justices MM Sundresh and RMT Teekaa Raaman gave the order on a plea by Payas seeking parole for making arrangements for his son Tamilko's marriage.

His parole will be from November 25 till December 24.

The bench also recorded an undertaking given in the form of an affidavit by a man named Chandrasekaran to provide facility of stay in his house located in the jurisdiction of Neelankarai police station in the city.

In his plea in September, Payas had submitted that he has been in prison since August 16, 1991 and has completed actual imprisonment of more than 28 years.

During this period, he said, he had not utilised the emergency or ordinary leave provided to him under Tamil Nadu Suspension of Sentence Rules, 1982 despite his good conduct in prison.

The petitioner said he had submitted a representation to the DIG of Prisons in August, adding even after 40 days there was no progress on the request made by him which constrained him to file the present petition for a direction to the authorities to grant parole of 30 days.

The bench directed the convict to furnish the sureties to the compliance of Rule 25 of Prison Rules, apart from furnishing the place of stay with requisite particulars of the jail authorities within a week from the date of receipt of the order.

The bench further said after the authorities conduct due verification, Payas shall be granted ordinary leave for a period of 30 days.

It also directed the petitioner that he should not give any interviews and would not have any meeting with leaders of political parties or any other organisation.

On completion of the parole, he will have to surrender before the jail authorities at about 5 p.m on December 24, the bench said.

In July, the court had granted one month parole to Nalini, another convict in the case, after she argued her plea in person for seeking the relief to make arrangements for her daughter's wedding.

Payas and six others -- Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Ravichandran, S Jayakumar and Nalini -- are serving life term in connection with the assassination of Gandhi by a suicide bomber at an election rally in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.