The court made the observation while responding to the submission made by assistant solicitor-general of India G Karthikeyan that the life convicts could not be permitted to make video calls to Sri Lanka, as it would hamper the probe conducted by the multi-disciplinary monitoring agency (MDMA) into the larger conspiracy of the assassination.
Refusing to accept the contention, the judges directed Karthikeyan to ascertain the status of the MDMA and report to the court by August 19.

The issue pertains to a plea moved by Nalini’s mother S Padma seeking to permit her daughter and her husband Murugan to make video calls to her mother-in-law in Sri Lanka and sister-in-law in London for at least 10 minutes daily.
As the state opposed the plea, the bench on July 27 directed the Centre to ascertain as to whether the life convicts can be permitted at least once to make video calls to the latter’s mother in Sri Lanka, who is mourning the death of her husband on humanitarian ground.

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Earlier, the state opposed the plea and contended that there is no provision either in the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules or in government orders to allow a prisoner to make video calls or even voice calls to any person in any foreign country.
It added that the issues involving a foreign country fall within the domain of the ministry of external affairs on which Tamil Nadu prison authorities or the Tamil Nadu government cannot take unilateral decisions.

Therefore, the court impleaded the Union external affairs ministry as party respondent and asked it to consider the issue.