The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court of the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai having issued temporary travel documents to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts Murugan, alias Vetrivel Sriharan; Balasundaram Robert Payas; and Shanmugalingam Jeyakumar.
Appearing before Justices R. Suresh Kumar and K. Kumaresh Babu, Additional Public Prosecutor R. Muniyapparaj said that the travel documents were valid up to September 22 and that the three released convicts could fly out of the country after the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) in Chennai issued deportation orders.
The APP said that after the receipt of the travel documents, the State government had forwarded them to the FRRO, functioning under the Union Home Ministry, on Monday and requested issuance of deportation orders. The FRRO was expected to take follow up action within a week or so, the law officer added. The Division Bench recorded the submissions made by him and closed a writ petition filed by Sriharan, before the issuance of the travel document, seeking a direction to the Director of Rehabilitation, serving under the State government, to issue an identity card to him so that he could fly out of the country.
