CHENNAI: A DMK delegation on Tuesday called on Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit and submitted a letter seeking immediate release of seven life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
The delegation comprised party president M K Stalin, general secretary S Durai Murugan, deputy general secretary K Ponmudi and party MPs Dayanidhi Maran, R S Bharathi and T K S Elangovan.
While talking to the media after coming out of Raj Bhavan, Stalin expressed satisfaction with his delegation’s meeting with the governor.
In his letter, Stalin pointed out that the DMK had been continuously demanding the release of seven convicts – Nalini Sriharan, Murugan, Santhan, A G Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and P Ravichandran – as they have been undergoing imprisonment for around 30 years.
“Despite our demand, the AIADMK government did not recommend their release. The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India had by its order dated 6.9.2018 directed as follows: ‘It appears that an application under Article 161 of the Constitution has been filed before the governor of Tamil Nadu by A G Perarivalan. Naturally, the authority concerned will be at liberty to decide the matter as deemed fit,’” the letter said.
“In pursuant to the above direction of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and on the pressure mounted by the DMK, the cabinet of the state government considered the matter and recommended to your excellency on 9.9.2018 for the remission of the rest of the sentence for all seven convicts so that they are released at once,” the letter said.
Citing that a decision has been pending with the governor, the DMK delegation urged him to immediately act on it and release the convicts, especially in the wake of the recent submission by the CBI to the Supreme Court that “Perarivalan is not the subject matter of any further investigation.”