New Delhi: 31 years in prison and finally released, the SC on Wednesday granted release to AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The apex court in its order said,’ by exercising Article 142, it is appropriate to release the convict’.
The verdict was pronounced by a three-judge panel of the apex court including Justice Nageswara Rao, BR Bavai and AS Bopanna. In its statement, the bench 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.”
In an order released on March 9th 2022, the SC had granted bail to AG Perivalan. On April 27th, it offered the Centre to release him from the prison as he had served a sentence of more than three decades.
On May 21, 1991, the former PM of India Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bombing incident during an election rally at Sriperumbudur Tamil Nadu. 14 along with the former PM were killed in the incident carried out by Dhanu alias Thenmozhi Rajaratnam.
Perivartan in 1998, was sentenced to death by a TADA court along with 25 others for their role in the assassination. However, in 2014 Peravivalan was first granted bail after the apex court commuted the death sentence to seven other convicts.