CHENNAI: DMK chief MK Stalin has urged the government to release the seven convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case as was done with the Dharmapuri bus burning case convicts. In a release, he said, "The three life term-accused of the Dharmapuri bus burning case have been released by the government with the consent of the Governor. The seven convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were not released despite the legal rights to release them. It is biased and condemnable,” he observed.
“The seven convicts have been undergoing imprisonment for around 27 years. The decision of the Cabinet was for them to be released. The government has the responsibility to execute the cabinet’s decision...” he said.
Meanwhile, Vaiko, MDMK general secretary, in his release, said, “The government, which didn’t come forward to release the seven convicts imprisoned for the last 27 years in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, took efforts to release the three convicts. It is a height of brutality."
"The resolution, adopted by the AIADMK government to release the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was an eyewash because of the judgement of the Supreme Court. But it didn’t take any efforts to release them, but released the three convicts, who had brutally killed the three girls. I express my condemnation to the Union government.” R Mutharasan, CPI state secretary, said. He added that the state government has put pressure more for release of their party workers than for the release of the Rajiv Gandhi case convicts.