Tamil Nadu cabinet recommends release of 7 Rajiv Gandhi assassins

The Tamil Nadu cabinet on Sunday recommended the release of seven convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case.

The cabinet's recommendation will be sent to the TN governor immediately, said fisheries minister D Jayakumar after the cabinet meeting that lasted for two hours in Chennai.

''The governor is the executive authority of the state who will execute the government's recommendation, he said.

The cabinet decided to release the convicts V Sriharan alias Murugan, T Suthanthiraraja alias Santhan, A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and Nalini, under Article 161 of the Constitution, which relates to the power of the Governor to grant pardons and to suspend, remit and commute sentences in certain cases.

The seven are serving a life sentence for their role in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by an LTTE suicide bomber on May 21, 1991 in nearby Sriperumpudur.

Opposition parties barring the Congress welcomed the move and urged the Governor to ensure the immediate release of the convicts, who have been in prison for over 25 years.

The government's move comes days after the Supreme Court asked the Governor to consider the mercy petition of Perarivalan seeking remission or pardon under Article 161 of the Constitution and disposed of the Centre's petition opposing the state's 2014 decision for the convicts' release.

Though the apex court had asked the Governor to consider the plea of Perarivalan, the government decided to recommend setting free all others also as they too had petitioned his (Governor's) office as well the government seeking premature release.

This is the second time the state cabinet has decided to set free all the seven convicts.Earlier, the then Jayalalithaa cabinet had in February, 2014 took the decision to release them, but it was stayed by the apex court on a petition by the Centre.

Originally, the trial court here had sentenced 26 accused to death in 1998 and a year later, the apex court had upheld the death sentence of four -- Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan and Nalini, commuted the death sentence of three others to life and set free the others.

In April 2000, the then Tamil Nadu Governor had commuted the death sentence of Nalini on the basis of state government's recommendation and an appeal by then Congress President Sonia Gandhi, wife of Rajiv Gandhi.

The death sentence of remaining three convicts was commuted in February 2014 by the apex court on the ground of inordinate delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas.

(With inputs from PTI)