6 accused in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to be released: Supreme Court

– An accused Pararivalan was sentenced to death

The Supreme Court has ordered the release of 6 accused, including Nalini and RP Ravichandran, who are serving life sentences in the case of former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s murder.

Delivering a major verdict on Friday, the Supreme Court has ordered the release of all six accused in the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Among these convicts are Nalini and RP Ravichandran who hatched the conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.

On 21 May 1991, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during an election rally in Tamil Nadu. The former PM died on the spot in this attack. Seven people were found guilty following an investigation into the attack. An accused Pararivalan was sentenced to death who was also ordered to be released. On May 18, the Supreme Court ordered the release of Pararivalan for his good behavior in jail. A bench of Justice L Nageswar gave this order using Article 142.

While pronouncing judgment on all the six accused in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, the Supreme Court observed that the jailed accused S Nalini, Jayakumar, RP Ravichandran, Robert Pias, Sutendraraja and Sriharan were released from prison for good behaviour. Their behavior in prison was known to be good and all achieved varying degrees during their stay in prison.

A total of 41 people were made accused in this case. 12 people were killed and three escaped. While the remaining 26 were caught. Among them were Sri Lankan and Indian nationals. Among the absconding accused are Prabhakaran, Pottu Oman and Akila. Action was taken against the accused under the TADA Act. After seven years of legal proceedings, on 28 January 1998, the TADA Court delivered a thousand-page judgment. In which all 26 accused were sentenced to death.

This decision was of the TADA Court so it was challenged in the Supreme Court. The decision of the TADA Court could not be challenged in the High Court. A year later, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court overturned the entire decision. The Supreme Court acquitted 19 of the 26 convicts. The death sentence of only 7 convicts was upheld. It was later commuted to life imprisonment.