Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has ordered to provide 30 days of ordinary leave to Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict AG Perarivalan who is lodged at Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai on medical grounds.
On Wednesday, Stalin, considering a petition from Arputham Ammal, mother of Perarivalan, seeking leave on medical grounds for her son, relaxed relevant rules and "ordered grant of 30 day ordinary leave," an official release said.
Soon, Arputham Ammal said, “I thank Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for swiftly granting leave by understanding the feelings of a mother, learning about Arivu’s health and reviewing the petition.”
Perarivalan is among the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assasination case and he is serving his life sentence.
On May 18, Arputham Ammal taking to social media said, “The COVID-19 spread and the consequent deaths in Tamil Nadu prisons are creating a frightening situation. The prison medical team has already said that the infections create a risky situation for Perarivalan, who is already suffering from several other diseases. Also, there is a need to continue his medical treatment.”
“So I have sent a plea seeking a long leave on 10 May,” she said adding, "Considering these, I request CM Stalin should review the petitions and swiftly take action."
The Case So Far
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur near Chennai by a woman suicide bomber Dhanu at an election rally of the Congress party. Following this, seven people – Perarivalan, Nalini, Murugan alias Sriharan, Santhan, Ravichandran, Robert Payas and Jayakumar – were given death sentences.
However, after several years, the death sentences were commuted to life sentences and the convicts are serving their jail terms.
Perarivalan was charged with buying two batteries and handing them over to Sivarasan. The batteries were used in the belt bomb used to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.
However, former CBI officer V Thiagarajan, who was a part of the team that investigated Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, in 2017 said that he recorded Perarivalan’s confession but failed to record that he was unaware of the purpose of the two nine-volt batteries he was told to purchase.
In January this year, the Supreme Court asked Banwarilal Purohit, the Governor of Tamil Nadu to decide on his remission petition. Even though all parties in Tamil Nadu asked for his release, the Governor said that the President of India should decide on the issue. Last year, the Madras High Court had granted Perarivalan 30-day parole and the Supreme Court had extended it by a week for medical checkup for him, in a petition moved by his mother Arputham Ammal.
(This article was first published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission. You can read the article here.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)