Chennai, Feb 4 (UNI) Accusing the Opposition DMK of

spreading lies on the issue of release of seven life

convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Tamil

Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said

he was hopeful that Governor Banwarilal Purohit will

take a good decision on their release.

Intervening during the debate on the motion of thanks

to the Governor for his address, he said the Governor

would soon take a good decision on the release of the

convicts.

'We are waiting for a good decision from the Governor',

Mr Palaniswami said.

Coming down heavily on the DMK, he said the then DMK

government had only recommended commutation of one

of the convicts, Nalini, while rejecting the release of three

other convicts--Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan.

It was the AIADMK government which adopted resolutions

on their release in the Assembly and in the State Cabinet

and forwarded it to the Governor for his assent, he added.

DMK was politicising the issue in view of the elections and

it was only the AIADMK which had always been speaking in

favour of the release of all the convicts.

On the opening day of the Assembly session on Tuesday,

the DMK walked out of the House and boycotted the

Governor's address stating that there was no mention

about the release of the convicts in his address.

DMK President and Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin,

while taking to reporters said Mr Purohit had also not

acted on the September 2018 State Cabinet resolution

recommending the release of all the seven life convicts

under Article 161 of the Constitution.

'There has been no proper reply from the Raj Bhavan on

the release of the convicts and a situation too was not

created by the Governor for their release', he said,

adding, to condemn this, the DMK decided to boycott the

Governor's address and also boycott the current session.

It may be recalled that as the one week deadline given

by the Supreme Court to the Governor to decide on the

release of A G Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the

case ended on January 28, Mr Palaniswami on January 29

met the Governor and ddiscussed the issue.

Later, talking to reporters in front of the Raj Bhavan

after the meeting, Fisheries Minister and ruling AIADMK

spokesman D Jayakumar said, the Chief Minister discussed

with the Governor about the release of all the seven

convicts.

The Chief Minister urged the Governor to take a good

decision and release all the convicts, in line with

the September 2018, State Cabinet resolution recommending

their release.

The Chief Minister's meeting in Raj Bhavan comes on the

day when the Governor's Secretary rushed to Delhi and

met the Solicitor General to seek legal views on the

matter.

The Court on a reply plea filed by the Centre on

January 21, granted a week's time for the Tamil

Nadu Governor to decide on the state government's

recommendation to release Perarivalan.

While the state government's recommendation to the

Governor for pardon to all the convicts has been

pending for over two years, Perarivalan had moved

the apex court to decide on the issue at the earliest.

It may be recalled that the State Cabinet on September

nine, 2018, adopted a resolution recommending to the

Governor to release all the seven convicts under

Article 161 of the Constitution.

The decision to release all the seven convicts was taken

in line with the September six, 2018 Supreme Court order.

Based on the Apex Court order, which had asked the Governor

to consider the mercy plea of Perarivalan for premature

release, the Cabinet had recommended to the Governor to

release all the convicts under Article 161 of Constitution.

A Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Naveen Sinha and K M Joseph

had on disposed of a plea filed by the Centre opposing the

State government's proposal for the release of the convicts,

and asked the Governor to consider the mercy plea of

Perarivalan.

The Raj Bhavan had on September 15, 2018 said a just and fair

decision would be taken in accordance with the Constitution.

It said this was a complex case and involves examination of

legal, administration and Constitutional issues and the papers

would be processed scrupulously.

'The case is a complex one and involves the examination of

legal, administrative and Constitutional issues', the Raj

Bhavan said.

Later, when the issue was taken to the Court, the State

government said it had got a reply from the Raj Bhavan

that it was waiting for the final report of the MDMA

which was probing the larger conspiracy angle in the case.

In the meantime, the CBI informed the Supreme Court that

Perarivalan has nothing to do with the MDMA probe and his

release.

In its 24-page affidavit filed before the Apex Court,

the CBI said it was entirely left to Mr Purohit to

decide on releasing Perarivalan.

Stating that it has no role whatsoever in the issue,

the CBI said the question of remission is wholly

between Mr Purohit and Perarivalan.

“It is for the office of His Excellency Governor of

Tamil Nadu to take a call on the issue of whether

remission is to be granted...So far as relief in the

present matter is concerned, CBI has no role,” it said.

The CBI said Perarivalan is “not the subject matter

of the further investigation carried out by the MDMA”.

“The further investigation conducted by the MDMA is

only limited to the mandate provided by the Jain

Commission Report, which had recommended further

probe into the killing of Rajiv Gandhi.

The CBI also clarified that it did not receive any

request from the Governor’s office to divulge the

status or details of the investigation.

Since then leaders of various political parties were

hoping that the Governor would soon take a good

decision on the issue.

In November 24 last year, Opposition DMK President

M K Stalin petitioned the Governor seeking the

release of the seven life convicts citing the CBI's

submission in the Supreme Court.

In a letter, which was handed over to Mr Purohit by

Mr Stalin at the Raj Bhavan, he said the DMK has

been continuously demanding the release of seven

convicts--Nalini, V.Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhan,

A.G.Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Pyas and

P.Ravichandran--who were undergoing the long endless

agony of imprisonment for about 30 years.

UNI GV 1715