Seven convicts – Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham, Nalini Sriharan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran – have been in jail for 27 years, serving life terms for killing Rajiv Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE bomber Dhanu in May 1991. The subsequent trial and conviction of the assassins, became an emotive subject in Tamil Nadu.
Many in the state believe the convicts played minor roles and were drawn into a plot they knew little about.
In 2014, then Chief Minister J Jayalalitha had decided to release them, but the Centre had rejected the proposal.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi recently said that he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have “completely forgiven” their father’s killers.
Last month, in response to a mercy petition by the state, the Centre told the Supreme Court that the killers cannot be released. Calling the assassination a “most heinous and brutal crime” the Union home ministry said it would “set a very dangerous precedent and lead to international ramifications by other such criminals in the future”.
The Supreme Court then asked the Governor Banwarilal Purohit to take a call on the mercy petition of AG Perarivalan. The state reasoned that it would recommend the release of all since they had also petitioned for early release.
Now the Tamil Nadu government has decided to seek the release of the seven persons convicted for the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The recommendation of the state cabinet will be sent to the Governor immediately, said Indian state minister D Jayakumar. Now the question will arise whether in such cases Governor has to take independent decision or he has to abide by the Cabinet decision.
