Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Stalin slams CM over 'false promises of releasing convicts'

Lashing out at the AIADMK government, Leader of Opposition M K Stalin on Friday, asked CM E Palaniswami (EPS) why did he give false assurances regarding the release of the 7 Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts. Citing the Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit's decision of passing the buck to President Kovind to take a decision on remission of main accused AG Perarivalan. EPS had announced in the Assembly that the governor would take a 'good decision soon' in the above matter.

TN Guv says 'President competent to decide' on Rajiv Gandhi Assassination convict's pardon

Stalin: 'Enough with the drama!'

On Wednesday, Purohit proposed that the President is competent to deal with the request of remission of sentence Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict AG Perarivalan. As per the affidavit filed by the Home Ministry in the Supreme Court, the MHA has stated the government will process the proposal in accordance with the law. The Supreme Court had asked the Governor to decide on Perivalan's pardon within 2 weeks after the plea has been kept pending by the Governor for over 2 years.

OPS affirms TN govt's resolve to release all 7 convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

Perarivalan's remission plea

The plea pertains to 46-year-old Perarivalan who is seeking suspension of his life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case till the MDMA probe is completed. A G Perarivalan, Nalini, her husband Murugan, T. Suthendraraja, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, and P Ravichandran are the seven convicts in the assassination case who have been in prison for over 30 years. With Congress ally-DMK demanding the release of all 7 convicts, CM E Palaniswami has assured that they will be released soon.

Last year in November, the top court had expressed unhappiness over the pendency of Perarivalan's pardon before the Tamil Nadu Governor for over 2 years. The CBI had also asserted that it had no role as far as the relief was concerned stating, "It is for Governor of Tamil Nadu to take a call on the issue whether remission is to be granted or not and in so far as relief is concerned in the present matter CBI has no role. Present petitioner is not the subject matter of the further investigation carried out by MDMA". Thereafter, Perarivalan was granted parole from November 9 to November 23 by the Madras High Court on 'medical grounds.'

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber during an election rally at Sriperumpudur on May 21, 1991. Several relatives of those killed along with Rajiv Gandhi had opposed the release of these convicts, but the AIADMK government had adopted a resolution recommending to Governor Banwarilal Purohit the release of all seven convicts. This move has been vehemently opposed by BJP, which has stated that it will set a wrong precedent to release former PM's assassins. 

DMK walks out of TN Assembly over delay in release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts

TN CM Palaniswami meets Guv over release of 7 convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case