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AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, released by the Supreme Court in 2022, has enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Perarivalan, now a 54-year-old, donned the black robes on April 27 and is set to practise at the Madras High Court.
Reflecting on his personal journey, Perarivalan said, as an ordinary person, his lack of legal knowledge had serious consequences. “It was my own experiences and wounds that pushed me to study law. The lack of legal awareness had a huge impact on my life and that is what made me learn law,” he said.
Perarivalan said he began studying law immediately after his release in 2022 and completed his LLB in 2025, clearing the All India Bar Examination the same year.
“My ambition is not to become a famous criminal lawyer, that is not my specialisation,” he said and added that he would focus on specialised areas rather than general criminal practice. “I want to help others who are similarly affected. I want to work on anti-death penalty cases, prisoners’ rights and premature release matters,” he said.
Perarivalan was arrested in 1991 at the age of 19, weeks after Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bombing at Sriperumbudur. He was accused of supplying a 9-volt battery used in the explosive device and was later convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. His death sentence, upheld by the Supreme Court in 1999, was commuted to life imprisonment in 2014 due to delays in deciding his mercy petition.
After prolonged legal proceedings and delays in his remission plea, the Supreme Court ordered his release on May 18, 2022, invoking its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, citing his long incarceration of over 30 years.
During his time in prison, Perarivalan pursued extensive education, completing BCA and MCA degrees from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, along with several diploma courses, including a gold medal-winning programme from Tamil Nadu Open University. Following his release, he enrolled at Dr BR Ambedkar Law College in Bengaluru and completed his LLB in 2025.