Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: Convict files second petition seeking explanation on Sanjay Dutt's early release

Chennai [India], Apr. 1 (ANI): A G Perarivalan, one of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has filed a second petition and submitted it to the Pune Information commission, seeking an explanation over the grounds on which actor Sanjay Dutt, a convict in 1993 Mumbai blasts case, was prematurely released from prison. The lack of any response to his first petition which he had filed last year, led him to file a second one today. Unlike Dutt, Perarivalan never got parole or bail in the past 25 years, ever since he was arrested in 1991. On September 2016, Perarivalan was attacked inside the Vellore Central prison by fellow prisoner Rajesh. Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber at nearby Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991 and seven persons - Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran, were convicted in the case. Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life in 2000 following a cabinet recommendation and appeal by Rajiv's wife, Sonia Gandhi. The Supreme Court had commuted the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan in February 2014 following delay in deciding on their mercy plea. The Tamil Nadu government had in March this year decided to remit the sentences of all the seven convicts. However, the matter soon went to the Supreme Court and is pending there, with the Central government questioning the State's powers to grant remission to them on specific grounds. The seven convicts are V Sriharan alias Murugan, AG Perarivalan, T. Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini. (ANI)