The Supreme Court today dismissed the plea of S Nalini, challenging the law mandating the Centre's approval for her release and that of six other convicts. Nalini had challenged Section 435 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code which mandates the state government to consult the Centre before premature release of a convict, if the case had been investigated by the CBI.

Nalini is serving a life imprisonment term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. She was sentenced to death by the trial court in the case on January 28, 1998. Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life term by the Tamil Nadu Governor on April 24, 2000. She has been in jail for the last 23 years.