Assassins at Large: The Rajiv Gandhi KILL of 1991

Rajiv Ghandhi-Haribabu Camera8Rajiv Ghandhi-Haribabu Camera9

I- “Jayalalitha to release Rajiv Gandhi killers,” by S. Venkat Narayan, courtesy of Island February 19, 2014,

NEW DELHI, February 19: Twenty-three years after they were jailed, the Tamil  Nadu Government headed by Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalitha today decided to  set free within three days all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi  assassination case after the Indian Supreme Court commuted the death penalty of  three of them to life sentence. Besides Santhan, Murugan, the husband of Nalini, Perarivalan, who earned a  major reprieve from the Supreme Court yesterday which spared them from gallows,  Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichan-dran will walk out from prison. Four of the men who will be set free are Sri Lankan Tamils. They are: Murugan,  Santhan, Robert Payas and V Jayakumar.

Jayalalithaa convened an emergency Cabinet meeting in Chennai this morning  over the issue, and took the decision for the early release of the convicts  sentenced for their roles in the sensational killing of Rajiv Gandhi. She made a suo motu announcement in the state assembly.

The announcement, which brought cheers on the faces of convicts, their  families, was hailed by opposition parties, barring the Congress Party. Jayalalitha said that, in compliance with the Sec 435 of Criminal Procedure  Code, the state will send the cabinet decision to the Centre seeking its nod for  the release as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the case against  the convicts. “If there is no reply within three days from the Centre, the state government  will release all the seven under CrPc section 432 in accordance with the powers  vested with it”, she declared.

While members from the opposition parties thanked the Chief Minister for her  gesture in deciding to release all the convicts, Congress Party’s JD Prince  stood up and made certain remarks, which the Speaker V Dhanpal expunged. John Jacob and NR Rangarajan (both Cong) were heard saying something, but the  Chair refused permission stating that any statement made under Rule 110 of the  House did not entail members to seek clarifications.

The three Congress members later trooped out of the House. Majority of  political parties in the state had demanded immediate release of convicts in the  backdrop of Supreme Court observation that the state can consider their release.

Perarivalan’s mother Arputhammal, who had relentlessly campaigned for about  23 years seeking her son’s release, had exuded confidence that the state will  free her son from the prison.

Jayalalitha told the Assembly that soon after the Supreme Court judgement,  she held a discussion with legal experts on the issue Tuesday. She said she summoned the Cabinet meeting today at which the decision to  release all the seven were taken. “Considering that they have spent over 23 years in prison, the Cabinet  decided to immediately release Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan under the powers  vested with the state government under Section 432 of CrPC. Likewise, it was  also decided to release life convicts Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and  Ravichandran, who too have spent 23 years in prison,” Jayalalitha said.

However, since the case was filed by the CBI before the TADA court, the Tamil  Nadu Cabinet’s decision has to be referred to the Central government under  Section 435 of CrPC.

“Hence, the Cabinet’s decision to release Santhan, Murugan, Perarivalan,  Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran will be sent to the Central  government immediately,” the Chief Minister said.

“If the Central government did not respond to the Cabinet reference within  three days, then the state government invoking powers vested with it under  Section 432 of CrPC, will release Santhan, Murugan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert  Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran,” Jayalalithaa said.

Ridiculing the DMK’s demand to the state government to release the Rajiv  killers, Jayalalitha blamed the previous Karunanidhi regime in 2000 for  rejection of mercy petitions of convicts by the Governor and also by the  President.

“Had the then government considered the plea of the convicts for clemency and  recommended it to the Governor, it could have taken a Cabinet decision on it.  But, such a thing did not happen.”

Jayalalitha also recalled the state Assembly resolution in 2011 seeking the  President to commute the death penalty awarded to Rajiv assassins to life  sentence. “Though the DMK was part of the UPA alliance for one and a half years after  the resolution was passed, Karunanidhi did not pursue the issue with the  Centre,” she charged.

The Designated Court had in January 1998 sentenced all 26 available accused  to death, but on appeal, the Supreme Court confirmed the conviction of only  seven and acquitted 19 persons for being part of the conspiracy to assassinate  Rajiv Gandhi. Of these, four were sentenced to death and three to life terms. In  April 2000, the State Cabinet granted a reprieve to Nalini alone, and her  sentence was reduced to life. The other three serving life terms are Ravichandran, a youth from Tamil Nadu  who formed a separatist group loyal to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam  (LTTE), Robert Payas and V Jayakumar.

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Dhanu et al wait the assassination team wait with their unknowing cover Kokilani Rajiv Ghandhi-greets si[[pporters Rajiv Gandhi greets followers RAJIV KILL--some dead mayhem after the kill dhanu's headDhanu as maaveerar    Kaarthikeyen media event (2) The Karthikeyen investigation team at a media event

DHANU AND THE KILLING OF RAJIV

Michael Roberts:Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Sacrificial Metamorphosis?” 6 January 2010, http://thuppahis.com/2010/01/06/killing-rajiv-gandhi-dhanus-sacrificial-met-in-death/

transcurrents.com/tc/2010/01/killing_rajiv_gandhi_dhanus_sa.html

Jan 6, 2010 – by Michael Roberts. PREAMBLE. Journals use Abstracts in order to provide readers with a distillation of the argument in an article. Where 

http://www.tandfonline.comList of IssuesTable of Contents

by M Roberts – ‎2009 – ‎Cited by 1 – ‎Related articles

Jan 5, 2010 – Set within the context of the Sri Lankan Tamils’ liberation war dominated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), this article examines 

www.researchgate.net/…/232897921_Killing_Rajiv_Gandhi_Dhanu’s_sacri…Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu’s sacrificial metamorphosis in death. Michael Roberts. South Asian History and Culture 01/2009; 1:25-41. DOI:10.1080/ 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thenmozhi_Rajaratnam‎ ….. Rajiv Gandhi was campaigning in Sriperumbudur for the upcoming “Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu’s sacrificial metamorphosis in death“. tandfonline.com. 2009.

V. G. Julie Rajan – 2011 – ‎Political Science Bloom (2005) 159. Michael Roberts, “Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu’s Sacrificial Metamorphosis in Death,” South Asian History and Culture, 1(1),January 2010: 27.

thuppahi.wordpress.com/…/the-rajivgandhi-assassination-the-inside-stor…‎ Nov 4, 2012 – http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/01/killing_rajiv_gandhi_dhanus_sa.html for leads to Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu’s sacrificial metamorphosis 

rajiv kill-- SIVARASAN plusSivarasan and other killers displayed in the Kaarthikeyen & Raju book

 

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