Rajiv Gandhi murder case: Resolution to release 7 convicts sent to President

The previous AIADMK government had passed a cabinet resolution on the release of seven convicts Nalini, Murugan, Chandan, Perarivalan, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Jayakumar, who were serving life sentences in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case had forwarded it to the governor.

Nalini had filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking her immediate release without waiting for the governor's approval and declaring that the governor postponing to make a decision on a cabinet resolution was unconstitutional.

The petition came up for hearing last time to a bench comprising Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy. The court then said, “How can a life prisoner be released early without the approval of the governor. It is up to the Governor to decide on the Cabinet resolution.” 

The judges had directed the state government to explain whether only the Perarivalan case had been forwarded to the President or the case of seven others had also been sent.

When the case came up for hearing again yesterday, Advocate General R. Shanmuga Sundaram appeared for the Tamil Nadu government and said that the Governor had sent to the President the documents relating to the early release of not only Perarivalan but also all the seven convicts in the Rajiv murder case. 

The judges adjourned the hearing to April 13 after ordering Nalini's lawyer Radhakrishnan to inform the state government of the date on which the Governor had sent the files to the President.