SC Orders Release of Six Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Accused Including Nalini, RP Ravichandran

Rajiv Gandhi Case: The SC also held that the provisions under which another accused Perarivalavan was released a few months ago were also applicable to them. 

Chennai: The Supreme Court orders the premature release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts including Nalini and RP Ravichandran.

The SC also held that the provisions under which Perarivalavan was released were also applicable to them. The Court gave the order in the case moved by Nalini and RP Ravichandran.

The seven convicts in the case were Nalini Sriharan, Murugan, Santhan, AG Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, and P Ravichandran. In May, Perarivalavan was released from the prison but the remaining six convicts were serving their prison terms in Tamil Nadu prisons.

All the accused served a prison term of over 30 years in connection with the case. 

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber during an election rally at Sriperumbudur in 1991. A woman suicide bomber of LTTE group, Dhanu (alias) Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, who bent to touch the feet of Rajiv Gandhi blew off an explosive-laden belt. Along with Rajiv Gandhi, 14 others also died in the bombing at Sriperumbudur. 

In 1998, 26 accused including Perarivalan and Nalini were sentenced by TADA court for their role in the assassination. 

Later, some of the accused were given death sentences. However, the SC commuted the death sentence of the convicts to life imprisonment in 2014. 

After the remission sentence, Perarivalan appealed for an early release from prison. 

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers including J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi K Palaniswami recommended for the release of the seven convicts. TN CM Stalin also wrote to the President seeking the release of the convicts. 

In this backdrop, SC ordered the release of AG Perarivalan by exercising Article 142 on May 18, 2022. SC also said, "There cannot be any inexplicable delay while exercising Article 161 and it can be subjected to judicial review. The Governor is a mere handle and we are not impressed to remand back the matter to him."

(More details are awaited)