Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to release of six convicts, including Nalini Sriharan and RP Ravichandran, serving life term in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Stalin said it is a “victory of strong legal battles and humanity” and a “victory of democratic theory”.
“Following Perarivalan, the Supreme Court has released six people including Nalini - a victory of our strong legal battles and humanity! It is a victory of democratic theory and that the government's decisions should not be shelved by those in appointed positions!”, Stalin tweeted.
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Earlier in the day, the top court set free S Nalini, Jaykumar, RP Ravichandran, Robert Pias, Suthendraraja and Sriharan, who were serving life imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The court found them to have good conduct in jail and all of them had acquired various degrees during their stay in jail.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, the top court set free S Nalini, Jaykumar, RP Ravichandran, Robert Pias, Suthendraraja and Sriharan, who were serving life imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The court found them to have good conduct in jail and all of them had acquired various degrees during their stay in jail.
{{/usCountry}}The top court also noted that the Tamil Nadu cabinet had recommended their release on September 9, 2018 - after the release of convict AG Perarivalan - one of the convicts in the case - in May 2018.
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A bench of Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna said that the judgment of the court in the case of Perarivalan is equally applicable in their matter.
"In so far as the applicants before us are concerned, their death sentences were commuted to life on account of delay...We direct that all the appellants are deemed to have served their sentence...The applicants are thus directed to be released unless required in any other case," the bench said.
Rajiv Gandhi - who had become the youngest prime minister of the country at the age of 40 - was assassinated on May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber during a poll rally.