Rajiv Gandhi assassination: SC grants bail to convict Perarivalan after 32 years in jail

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday granted bail to AG Perarivalan, one of the seven people convicted in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. AG Perarivalan, who is serving a life sentence was granted bail on the grounds that the convict had already served the last 32 years in the jail. 

The bail was granted by a bench comprising Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice BR Gavai. The court noted that they have considered that the accused has spent the past three decades in the prison and is entitled to be released on a bail. The bail order was vehemently opposed by the centre in the court. Besides, prior to this, AG Perarivalan had been granted parole twice last year. Last year in July, his parole was further extended by a month at the request of CM MK Stalin.

On May 21, 1991, former Prime Minister and Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber when he was campaigning for the party at Sriperumpudur. AG Perarivalan was arrested on June 11, 1991, and was convicted of procuring a 9-volt battery for the explosive device.

V Sriharan alias Murugan, his wife Nalini, A G Perarivalan, Santhan, Jayakumar, P Ravichandran and Robert Payas were the seven individuals convicted for Rajiv Gandhi’s killing.

Remission plea for convicts of Rajiv Gandhi assassination

After taking CM charge, MK Stalin in 2021 had written to President Ram Nath Kovind to accept the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government in 2018 to release all seven convicts in the case. He said that the convicts have been undergoing the “agony of imprisonment" for the last three decades and said that majority of political parties have been demanding remission of their life sentences.

In 2018, the Tamil Nadu government had recommended to Governor Banwarilal Purohit to release all convicts. However, three years later, the governor declined to make a decision and informed that the President was the competent authority. On February 4, 2021, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had proposed that the President is competent to deal with the request of remission of sentence Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict AG Perarivalan. 
 

Image: PTI