NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to AG Perarivalan, who is undergoing life imprisonment in a case related to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.“Taking into account the fact that the applicant has spent over 30 years in prison, we are of the considered view that he is entitled to be released on bail, in spite of the vehement opposition by the Centre,” a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai said in the interim order.
Perarivalan (47) had sought for his life sentence to be suspended till the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) probe is completed. In 2016, he filed a special leave petition against a Madras High Court order refusing his plea seeking for the sentence to be commuted.
Welcoming the order, Perarivalan’s mother Arputham Ammal profusely thanked Chief Minister MK Stalin, and senior counsels Rakesh Dwivedi and Gopal Sankaranarayanan. Political parties in Tamil Nadu too expressed happiness. VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said the verdict paves the way for the other convicts in the case to get relief, and urged the Union government to release all seven of them.
PMK youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss said Perarivalan should have been released 10 years ago. Now, ignoring opposition from the Centre, the Supreme Court granted him bail. The Governor should release the seven convicts without any further delay, he added.
Rajiv case: ‘SC order milestone in long battle’
Naam Tamilar Katchi leader Seeman said the Supreme Court’s verdict is a milestone in the legal battle that has been on for over a quarter-century. Utilising this verdict, the release of Perarivalan should be ensured in due course, and the State government should help in this aspect, he said. MDMK general secretary Vaiko said the bail given to Perarivalan has come as a solace. MMK president MH Jawahirullah said the SC has given a historical verdict by rejecting the averments of the Union government.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, at a large public meeting for an election campaign. Fourteen others, including Dhanu, were killed. Gandhi’s assassination was India’s first suicide bombing case in which a high-profile political leader was targeted.