A convict serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has sought the help of Supreme Court seeking his premature release on the ground that he has already served a jail term of 14 years. The Court on Friday issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu govt. on a petition filed by V Ravichandran, the convict.

Court issued the notice after counsel for Ravichandran submitted that the convict's plea be considered by the Advisory Board along with three others Nalini, S.Jeyakumar and Robert Payas whose application is already pending with the State Government.

Nalini, S. Jeyakumar and Robert Payas have already knocked the doors of Madras high court for early release. On 25th September, the Madras High Court had directed the Advisory Board to consider afresh the applications of these three. The High Court had held that the advisory board earlier constituted by the State to consider the case of the three convicts was not constituted as per rules.

The apex court on 12th May, 1999 had commuted Ravichandran's death sentence awarded by the Designated TADA court in Chennai to life imprisonment.

Out of the 26 accused, who stood the trial, the apex court had acquitted 19 of them in the case while awarding death sentence to four and life imprisonment to three.

The death sentence was awarded to Nalini, her husband Murgan, Santhan and Arivu for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on 21st May, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Nalini's death sentence was later commuted into life imprisonment.