The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the State government to grant 30 more days of ordinary leave to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case life convict A.G. Perarivalan, who was already granted 60 days of leave between November 5, 2019, and January 11 this year.
Justices N. Kirubakaran and P. Velmurugan disposed of a habeas corpus petition (HCP) filed by his mother T. Arputham and ordered relaxation of the prison rules, which do not permit a convict to avail ordinary leave within two years from the date when the previous leave had expired.
Medical complications
The orders were passed considering several medical complications suffered by Perarivalan and the fact that he was under incarceration for the past 29 years. The judges also took note that the convict had been granted 60 days of leave in 2017 also, and his conduct was found to be satisfactory.
The judges further ordered notice to the State government on a sub-application preferred by Ms. Arputham seeking a copy of the Raj Bhavan’s reply to the government on the status of a recommendation made by the Cabinet to release all seven life convicts in the case.
During the hearing of the HCP, the public prosecutor had informed the court that though the State Cabinet had made the recommendation on September 9, 2018, the Governor was awaiting the report of the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Authority (MDMA) before taking a call on the issue.
The MDMA was constituted pursuant to the Jain Commission of Inquiry to probe into the larger conspiracy behind the assassination.