TN govt in no mood to release Rajiv assassination case convicts early

TNN | Updated: Aug 17, 2017, 12:37 AM IST

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government has dug out a counter-affidavit filed by it in 2012, and furnished it on Wednesday, opposing early release of two life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

When the premature release plea of lifers B Robert Payas alias Kumaralingam and Jayakumar came up for further hearing on Wednesday, copies of counter-affidavits prepared in 2012 were handed over to parties concerned.

The counter cited various Supreme Court orders that categorically said that life sentence meant imprisonment for life, and that remitting of any portion of sentence was securely vested with the authority concerned and that it could not be claimed as a matter of right.

In 2014, the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa changed the state's stand on the issue and decided to release all the seven convicts in the case. The moved was later stalled by the Supreme Court, which held that without the consent of the Centre, state governments could not release people convicted in cases investigated by central agencies.

The counter, however, contended that the state government rejected premature release of the convicts in 2010 solely based on the recommendation of the advisory board constituted for the purpose, the government said the contention of the petitioner that his request was rejected for the sole reason that he was involved in the murder case of Rajiv Gandhi, was not correct.

"The brutal murder of former prime minister of India has many political ramifications and is definitely an important incident in the Indian political scene, which resulted in stalling the democratic process for few days. The incident sent shock waves to the effect that the general elections itself had to be postponed," the government added.

The state government also wanted the court to dismiss the pleas of the life convicts, as being devoid of merit.