Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said the State government could not take any unilateral decision on the plea by Nalini, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, for her premature release.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, ‘This is a major issue that has to be discussed at the national level. Therefore, we cannot unilaterally take a decision on it.’ He said the State government had appointed an advisory board to consider her plea and its report ‘is on its way.’

The Board was formed after a direction from the Madras High Court on 24 September, 2008, while partly allowing a petition by Nalini to consider her request.

Besides Nalini, imprisoned for the last 19 years, the Board has heard the pleas of two other convicts in the case, Jayakumar and Robert Payas, seeking their premature release.

Nalini moved the Madras High Court last week, seeking permission to argue in person in the appeal filed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy against setting up of the board to consider her premature release.

Her request came in a telegram addressed to the Registrar General of the High Court, which has been referred to the Division Bench hearing Swamy’s appeal.

Nalini sent the three-line telegram to the HC registrar, saying, ‘I may be permitted to appear in person for the case.’ The matter was kept before a division bench, comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and N Paul Vasanthakumar, which adjourned the matter to 5 February.

Meanwhile, amid speculation and political uproar, the Prison Advisory Board (PAB), constituted by the State government in response to a plea of premature release made by Nalini, has sent its report to the Tamilnadu government.

This was disclosed by the District Collector C Rajendran, who heads the five-member PAB panel, on Tuesday.

Rajendran said the board, after going through the cases of Nalini and two of her associates, Robert Pyas and Jayakumar, also serving life sentences and eight other persons who had been in jail for over 14 years, had prepared individual reports based on a set of criteria, like their crime and punishment profiles and their conduct in prison.

While the details of the report are not known, the ball is now in the government’s court.