CHENNAI: Jayalalithaa government has announced its decision to remit the sentence of life imprisonment of all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, seeking for the Centre's views on the move.
In a letter written to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Gnanadesikan said the state government has received petitions from the convicts, requesting to release them as they had spent more than 20 years in prison. Convicts are V Sriharan alias Murugan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan, A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran, and Nalini. “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 alls of them have already served imprisonment for 24 years,” he said.
Gnanadesikan recalled how the Centre had gone to Supreme Court after Tamil Nadu decided on February 19, 2014 to grant remission to them and also referred to the matter pending in the court now. “The then government instead of expressing their views on the remission of life imprisonment hastened to file a writ plea in Supreme Court against Tamil Nadu's decision. In view of the circumstances stated above, it has become necessary for us to request you to communicate your views under Section 435 CrPc on the decision of the Government of Tamil Nadu.” He also added, that “Nalini has filed a writ plea in Madras High Court requesting the government of Tamil Nadu to release her.”
