Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin issued a statement on Friday, November 11, welcoming the release of the six people convicted in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Hailing the Supreme Court’s decision, he said, “The decision to release the six convicts is a historical move and in line with the spirit of democracy. This judgement from the Supreme Court is also proof that the decisions that should be taken by the elected government should not be left to those in appointed positions, like the Governor.”
The Chief Minister added that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was vocal about the release of the convicts when they were in power and as the opposition party. He mentioned that the convicts’ death sentence was commuted in 2000, when DMK supremo M Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister. Since then, the party has been proactive in ensuring that they are released, he added. CM Stalin also said that after the DMK had come to power, they had urged the Prime Minister and the President to release the six prisoners. He added, “We had argued on humanitarian grounds for the release of the convicts in court as well.”
MK Stalin said that AG Perarivalan’s release in May 2022 was the first victory and paved the way for the release of the others convicted in the case – Nalini, Santhan, Murugan, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Jayakumar. Stalin considered their release to be the second victory. “This [the release of the convicts] is the result of a strong legal battle we undertook as soon as we came to power. I would like to mention that this is a victory for all those who fight for humanity and human rights,” he added.
On Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the release of the six convicts, months after the seventh convict AG Perarivalan was released in May 2022. The court held that the legal reasoning behind releasing the convicts was already established when Perarivalan was released, and that the same applies in the cases of the other six. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna noted that the convicts all displayed good conduct in prison, and that they had also received educational qualifications while in jail. “We have no reason to keep you in jail any longer,” the court observed.
Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1991, at an election meeting in Sriperumbudur. Seven people were convicted in the same year and were given death penalties, which were subsequently commuted to life sentences.