Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassination: Supreme Court Rejects Centre Curative Plea

29 July, New Delhi

Supreme Court Wednesday rejected the curative petition filed by the Union government in connection with the commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment of three convicts for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Confirming the earlier judgement, the bench headed by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu, said Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan would have to undergo rigorous life imprisonment, but not death.

The three convicts are lodged in Vellore prison for the May 21, 1991 assassination in Sriperumbudur district of Tamil Nadu.

On February 18, 2014, the apex court had commuted the death sentence of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan to rigorous life imprisonment on the ground that their mercy plea was decided by the Central government in a delayed manner.

The Union of India had last week told the apex court that no mercy should be given or shown to the killers of Rajiv Gandhi as it opposed the Tamil Nadu government’s move to set free seven convicts by granting them remission of sentence.

The court dismissed the curative petition filed by the Centre, which was seeking a review of the court’s earlier decision.

The Centre, in its curative petition, said the victims in the former Prime Minister’s assassination case were not heard properly before commuting their death sentence.