One of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, SG Perarivalan has been granted parole today. The week-long parole, given by the Supreme Court, has been furnished for his medical check-up.
The top court has ordered the Tamil Nadu Government to offer police protection to the convict for his visits to the hospital.
This has come as an extension to the already granted parole to Perarivalan by the Madras High Court stretching till November 23rd though it was going to end on Monday earlier.
The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) has earlier stated that it cannot get involved in the bail or release of the convict because the decision lies in the hands of the Governor of Tamil Nadu Banwarilal Purohit, following which the Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices L Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and Ajay Rastogi passed the parole order.
The Tamil Nadu Government had suggested the release of all the 7 convicts arrested in the case of the assassination in the year 1991, however, the case is pending and hasn’t received an order from Governor Purohit.
As such, the Supreme Court is bound to announce the decision regarding Perarivalan’s petition for his release. The January court hearing of SC may also seek the Governor’s stance on the state government’s suggestion.
Major opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Pattali Makkal Kacchi, had urged the Governor to land on a decision about the release orders of the 7 convicts earlier in November.
After this request, the top court had also expressed its dismay on the order, on Perarivalan’s plea seeking release in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, that is pending since more than 2 years.
Since the state cabinet’s recommendation on the release on 9yh September, 2018, Mr. Purohit hasn’t taken a decision.
After serving in the jail for 29 years, the 46 year old asked for the suspension of his life-term imprisonment order until the CBI headed investigation with Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency is completed.
Originally punished with a death sentence, the 7 convicts were put in the prison for their involvement and role in the murder of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi’s father was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber at Sriperumbudur in 1991.
Perarivalan had earlier claimed that he wasn’t an ordinary criminal but a political prisoner. The stand was backed by another 2 convicts of the case.
