Rajiv Gandhi Killers Freed by Indian Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has set free all six convicts - serving life imprisonment - in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. 

The court applied its May 18 2022 judgment of releasing AG Perarivalan to the remaining life convicts after noting that the criteria laid down for Perarivalan was made out even in the case of the remaining convicts.

Perarivalan was among seven persons convicted by a special TADA court for being part of a larger conspiracy to assassinate former Prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi on 21 May 1991.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber of the Tamil Tigers LTTE group.

Rajiv Gandhi had become the youngest prime minister country had seen when he had assumed charge at the age of 40. 

A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna passed the order allowing convicts to walk out of jail.

By this order, the court released S Nalini, Jaykumar, RP Ravichandran, Robert Pias, Suthendraraja and Sriharan. They were found to have good conduct in jail and all of them had acquired various degrees during their stay in jail. The court noted that the Tamil Nadu cabinet had recommended their release on September 9, 2018, and this opinion will be binding on the Governor before whom the convicts had filed remission plea.

Earlier this year, the top court had ended the 31-year-old incarceration of convict AG Perarivalan. His good conduct in prison, medical condition, educational qualifications acquired in jail and the long pendency of his mercy plea since December 2015 were taken into account.

“Seeing his satisfactory conduct in jail, medical records, educational qualifications achieved in jail, and pendency of his mercy petition filed under Article 161 before TN Governor since December 2015…in exercise of powers under Article 142, we direct the petitioner to be set free," the court had said at the time.

(Agencies)