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Three men who had been convicted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi left for Colombo Wednesday morning. Murugan, Robert Payas, and Jayakumar were among six freed in November 2022 by the Supreme Court, which had said they showed "satisfactory behaviour" while in jail and also noted the Tamil Nadu government had recommended their release.
All three men were escorted from a special camp in Tiruchirappalli - where they had been held after their release from jail - to Chennai International Airport by a team of police officers early this morning. The men, all Sri Lankan nationals, were recently granted passports by the island nation.
One of the six - Murugan - is married to Nalini, an Indian citizen who was among the six released in 2022 on the Supreme Court's orders. Nalini accompanied her husband to the airport; visuals showed her sitting with him for a few moments before he was taken into the terminal.
Three decades ago, an intervention by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, the late Prime Minister's widow, spared Nalini's life - she, and the others, had been sentenced to death - after it emerged she had been pregnant during the sentencing. Her daughter is now a doctor in the United Kingdom.
READ | 6 Rajiv Gandhi Killers, Including Nalini, Freed By Supreme Court
The death sentences of the others was commuted by the top court, citing an inordinate delay by the President in disposing off their mercy pleas.
Nalini is attempting to secure a visa for the reunion with her daughter. Her brother, Packianathan, told NDTV, "... we hope Murugan will also get it from Colombo. They just want the family reunion."
READ | Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Convict In Court For Passport For UK
Another of the six released two years ago - Santhan - died in a Chennai hospital. He had been receiving treatment for a liver condition. He too was a Sri Lankan national.
READ | Rajiv Gandhi Case Convict Dies. He Was Freed In 2022
The first of the convicts released was Perarivalan, also an Indian citizen. He was released in May 2022.
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