The Central government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's killers cannot be released as it will have international ramifications.
The Central government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's killers cannot be released as it will have international ramifications.
"Tamil Nadu's proposal to release seven convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has been rejected," Centre told SC.
The Centre also said that releasing convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case will have international ramifications and it will set 'dangerous precedents'.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed in the explosion.
Arputhammal, the mother of the AG Perarivalan, one of the life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, urged the Tamil Nadu government for the mercy killing of her son, after President Ram Nath Kovind rejected the state's plea for the release of the convicts.
Kovind rejected the Tamil Nadu government’s request to release the seven prisoners, including Perarivalan, in the Rajiv assassination case. The convicts are V. Sriharan alias Murugan, A.G. Perarivalan, T. Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini.
In its May 1999 order, the top court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts -- A G Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini -- in the assassination case.
In April 2000, the Tamil Nadu governor had commuted the death sentence of Nalini on the basis of the state government's recommendation and an appeal by former Congress president and Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi.
On February 18, 2014, the top court had commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with that of two other prisoners - Santhan and Murugan - on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.
The apex court had in March this year dismissed a plea by Perarivalan seeking recall of the May 1999 verdict upholding his conviction. The charge against Perarivalan was that he had purchased two nine volt battery cells meant for detonating the bomb.
Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest prime minister of India at 40, when he assumed office after his mother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984.
(With agency inputs)
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