Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Perarivalan got bail, was in jail for 31 years
The Supreme Court has ordered the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Perarivalan on bail. The court has said that Perarivalan has been in jail for more than 30 years. His demeanor has consistently been very good. Due to the delay on the part of the government in taking a decision on his release, he cannot be kept in jail forever.
Perarivalan told the court that the order of the Tamil Nadu government to release him was not being approved by the Governor and the Center. His application for waiving the sentence is also stuck without a decision. Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai have recorded these arguments in the order.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraja, appearing for the central government, strongly opposed Perarivalan’s release. He said that the convict was sentenced to death in 1999. In 2014, the Supreme Court had converted it to life imprisonment. The basis behind this was made that the President is taking a long time to decide on his mercy petition. At the same time, it was also made the basis that he had spent a lot of time in jail. Natraj said that once the convict has got the concession on the basis of his long stay in jail, then he should not be given the benefit of the same thing again.
The Additional Solicitor General also said that it is for the Center to take a decision on waiving Perarivalan’s sentence by law. Court should not order in this matter. The judges took note of these arguments, but they considered it right to release the convict on bail. The court believed that this matter related to the interpretation of the power of the state government, the governor and the center would be heard in detail later. But till then it will not be right to keep the guilty in jail.
On 21 May 1991, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Perarivalan was arrested on 11 June 1991. He was proved guilty of buying an 8-volt battery used in the bomb blast and giving it to the mastermind of the attack, Sivarasan. Perarivalan, who was 19 at the time of the incident, continued his studies during his stay in jail. He got many degrees with good marks. While granting him bail, the court has also given place to these things in the order.
