Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS): A Madras High Court division bench has directed the court registry to place before the Chief Justice a petition filed by Murugan, a former convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to be heard by a single judge bench or a division bench.

Murugan had filed a petition before the high court seeking the state and Central governments to give him permission to go to Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission office, Chennai with proper escort.

He is seeking an all country passport and permit him to leave the country at his own cost.

The petitioner said that he had served prison term of 32 years in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and that he is presently aged 52 years.

In the petition, he said that he was lodged in a special camp for Sri Lankan Tamils (Foreigners detention centre), Trichy and the atmosphere in the detention camp is more severe than in high-security prisons.

He said that for the past 32 years, he, wife, and his daughter were living in separation and that the pain and suffering he had gone through was unexplainable. Murugan said that he wanted to live peacefully with his daughter in the UK. He prayed before the court that being a Sri Lankan citizen, he wanted the court to direct the centre and state governments to permit him to go to the Sri Lankan High Commission office in Chennai and permit him to travel to the UK.

The petition was listed before a division bench comprising of Justice M. Sundar and Justice R. Shakthivel. Justice Sundar, who was heading the bench, directed the court registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice to decide whether the case be heard by the single bench or the division bench.