New Delhi: AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has been released after 31 years, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday (May 18).
The Supreme Court invoked Article 142 of the Constitution to order his release.
This verdict paves way for the release of other six convicts in the case including Nalini Sriharan and her husband Murugan, a Sri Lankan national.
Perarivalan, who was 19 years old at the time of assassination. He was accused of buying the two 9-volt batteries for Sivarasan, the LTTE man who masterminded the assassination.
Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Perarivalan released: AG Perarivalan’s family celebrates SC verdict
Read here: https://t.co/gr4OmHbxr3 pic.twitter.com/DmEvZCX0PV— Newsroom Post (@NewsroomPostCom) May 18, 2022
The two batteries were used in the bomb to assassinate then PM Rajiv Gandhi.
In 1998, Perarivalan was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court. In 1999, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence but commuted it to life imprisonment in 2014.
In March 2022, the top court had granted him bail.
Following which, Perarivalan had appealed for an early release from the jail.
Meanwhile, the Centre had opposed Perarivalan’s plea, saying that the Tamil Nadu Governor had referred the matter to President Ram Nath Kovind, who has not yet taken the call.
When was Rajiv Gandhi assassinated?
It was on May 21, 1991 when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur by a woman suicide bomber at a poll rally.
The women was identified as Dhanu.
Who were convicted in this matter?
Seven people were convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case . Although, all the convicts were sentenced to death, in 2014, the Supreme Court commuted them to life terms, citing inordinate delay by the President in deciding on their mercy pleas.
Perarivalan’s conduct in the jail
Perarivalan, is said to have a very good conduct record in the jail. It is said that he won several academic qualifications during the long incarceration.
During this period, he had also authored a book.
What was Perarivalan’s purpose?
Perarivalan had earlier claimed that he wasn’t aware of the purpose behind the batteries. He was only asked to get the batteries.
Meanwhile, years later, a retired CBI officer, Mr Thiagarajan, had claimed that he had altered the Perarivalan’s confessional statement.
He had also apologised about the same.
