Tamil Nadu to free Rajiv Gandhi case convicts
State govt received petitions requesting it to release them as they had spent more than 20 years in prison.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Government on Wednesday said it has decided to remit the life sentence of all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and release them and sought the Centre’s views on the move. In a letter to Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, copies of which were released to the media here, state chief secretary K. Gnanadesikan said the government had received petitions from the seven convicts seeking release as they had spent more than 20 years in prison. There are seven convicts.
Convicts have served for 24 years
The convicts are V Sriharan alias Murugan, T. Suthendraraja, A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini. “Nalini has also filed a writ plea in Madras HC requesting the government to release her,” he said.
“The Government of Tamil Nadu after taking into consideration the petitions of the seven convicts has decided to remit the sentences of life imprisonment and to release the seven persons since all of them have already served imprisonment for 24 years,” Mr Gnanadesikan said adding that V. Sriharan, T. Suthendraraja, Jayakumar and Robert Payas are Sri Lankans. He recalled how the Centre had gone to SC after Tamil Nadu decided in 2014 to grant remission to them.