Chennai: In a stunning political move that caught practically everybody off guard, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said her government has decided to release all seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, including the three whose death sentence was commuted by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Announcing this in the state assembly on Wednesday, Jaya went a step further to add that if the Union government failed to respond to the decision in three days, the state government will exercise the powers to free them.
Hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said her government has decided to release all seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he was sad over the TN government’s decision. “I am sad the killers are being released,” Rahul said with a tinge of emotion, while noting that the assassins of his father, who worked for the rights of the people, were being set free. Rahul also said that if a Prime Minister, who sacrificed his life for the nation, does not get justice how will a common man get justice. “What should the common man expect when PM’s killers are being freed,” he said while addressing a gathering at Purab village in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Rahul, who was 21 when his father was killed by a suicide bomber at an election rally in Sriperumbedur, near Chennai, on May 21, 1991, at the same time said he was not in favour of death penalty.
Jaya said she held extensive discussions after the apex court commuted the death sentence of AG Perarivalan alias Arivu, Sriharan alias Murugan and T Suthentiraraja alias Santhan to life imprisonment on Tuesday. The court had noted in the judgement that though life imprisonment was till the end of life, it was upon the governments to further remit the sentence. This morning, the state cabinet was convened to discuss the release of the three, and also four lifers convicted in the same case – Sriharan’s wife Nalini, B Robert Payas, S Jayakumar and P Ravichandran – taking into consideration the over two-decades long incarceration that they have already underwent. “Taking into account that they have spent nearly 23 years in prison, the state cabinet has resolved to release them, exercising the power of remission vested on it under section 432 of the CrPC,” Jaya informed the assembly.
However, as the assassination case was investigated by CBI, a central agency, and tried and convicted under the now-repealed TADA, the state will have to discuss it with the union government under section 435 of CrPC, she added. “To proceed with the consultation, the State cabinet’s decision to remit the sentences of the seven persons will be forwarded to the centre immediately. If the union government delays its response beyond three days, the state government will exercise its powers and will release Perarivalan, Sriharan, Santhan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran,” Jaya informed the house.
