Big news came out on Wednesday in the case related to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. According to the news, AG Perarivalan, who was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate the former PM, has been granted bail by the Supreme Court. However, the central government opposed this decision of the court.
While granting bail to AG Perarivalan, the Supreme Court observed that sufficient material has been submitted by the petitioner regarding his conduct, his ill health. Considering the fact that he has spent more than 30 years in jail, we are of the view that he should be released on bail.
During this, the court also took note that it is yet to decide on its plea to release the Governor from jail. Perarivalan was sentenced to life imprisonment and has been in jail for 32 years.
A bench of Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice BR Gavai was hearing the petition of the accused. In this petition, the accused had sought suspension of life imprisonment in this case till the completion of MDMA investigation.
In its May 1999 order in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence awarded to the four convicts, Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini. After this, in 2014, the Supreme Court, while hearing on February 18, commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to life imprisonment along with two other prisoners, Santham and Murugan. The Supreme Court had based this on the delay of 11 years in deciding his mercy petition.
AG Perarivalan is one of the four convicts serving a sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Besides Perarivalan, Santhan, Murugan and Nalini are the culprits in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Murugan is the husband of Nalini. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide attack by the LTTE on 21 May 1991 during an election rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.