Rajiv killers’ case: Will go by SC ruling, says Rajnath Singh

The Centre on Thursday said it is examining the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to remit the sentence of seven life-term convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case but made it clear that abiding by the Supreme Court’s order on the issue is its constitutional responsibility.

“We have received a letter from the Tamil Nadu government yesterday and we are examining it. But I want to state about the accused that the Supreme Court has given a verdict and to abide by its order is our constitutional responsibility, not only constitutional but also moral responsibility,” Union home minister Rajnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha. The home minister’s statement comes a day after the Tamil Nadu government said it had decided to remit the sentence of life imprisonment of all the seven convicts and release them, and sought the Centre’s views on the move.

In a letter to Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Thursday, Tamil Nadu chief secretary K. Gnanadesikan said the state government had received petitions from the seven convicts requesting it to release them as they had spent more than 20 years in prison. The convicts are V. Sriharan, alias Murugan, T. Suthendraraja, alias Santhan, A.G. Perarivalan, alias Arivu, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini.