In a significant development concerning the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court that three convicts – Sriharan alias Murugan, Robert Payas, and Jayakumar – are set to be deported to Sri Lanka within a week. The Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission has reportedly issued temporary travel documents to the convicts, paving the way for their repatriation.

The announcement was made during a hearing before a division bench of Justices R Sureshkumar and K Kumaresh Babu, with additional Public Prosecutor R Muniyapparaj informing the court about the issuance of temporary travel documents. The convicts will be deported to Sri Lanka either within a week or upon the issuance of deportation orders by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).

The revelation came in response to a plea filed by Sriharan alias Murugan, one of the convicts, seeking direction from the authorities at the foreigners’ camp in Trichy to issue him a photo identity certificate. However, the bench deemed the request unnecessary at this stage, stating that issuing a separate identity card does not currently warrant any intervention.

In their observation, the bench stated, “At this stage, the question of issuing any separate identity card as sought for in this writ petition does not arise. We feel that no order is required to be passed in this writ petition as per the prayer sought for herein to give a direction to the authorities to issue an identity card to the petitioner.”