On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear a case regarding the premature release of 7 convicts serving life sentences for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Tamil Nadu government reportedly informed the Madras high court last week that the case would likely be heard by the Supreme Court on December 7.
In 2016, one of the convicts, AG Perarivalan, 46, filed a petition for premature release, asking for the suspension of his life sentence in the case until the CBI-led Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) completed its investigation into the facet of a larger conspiracy involved in the assassination of the former prime minister.
During the last hearing of the case, the SC sought to know about the status of a recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government to the State Governor in September 2018 to release the convicts under the powers conferred by Article 161 of the Constitution.
The state government responded by stating that the governor was awaiting the MDMA’s final report before making a decision. Later, at a hearing on January 21, last year, the government stated that the Governor would make a decision on Perarivalan’s remittance petition.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government filed a counter-affidavit in response to a similar petition submitted by S Nalini, another convict, stating that she cannot be released without the Governor’s approval and that the court should dismiss the appeal for her release.
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