SC to hear plea of convict in Rajiv assassination case after 3 weeks

 

 

 

 

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear after three weeks a plea of A G Perarivalan, serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking grant of parole. A vacation bench of justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari took note of the fact that the lawyer for Perarivalan has circulated the letter seeking adjournment of hearing in the case. “There is a letter (for adjournment). List after three weeks before an appropriate bench,” the bench said in its order. On November 23 last year, the top court had extended by a week the parole of Perarivalan for undergoing the medical check-up and had directed the Tamil Nadu Government to provide police escort to him during his visit to doctors at a hospital.

 

The CBI, in its affidavit of November 20, 2020, had told the apex court that the Tamil Nadu Governor has to take a call on grant of remission to Perarivalan. The CBI had said Perarivalan was not the subject matter of further investigation carried out by the CBI-led Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) which is conducting a probe on the aspect of larger conspiracy as per the mandate of the Jain Commission report. The top court is hearing the plea of 47-year-old Perarivalan seeking suspension of his life sentence in the case till the MDMA probe is completed. On November 3 last year, the top court had expressed unhappiness over the pendency of a plea by a convict seeking pardon in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case for over two years with the Tamil Nadu Governor. In its 24-page affidavit, the CBI said it is for the Tamil Nadu Governor to take a call on whether remission is to be granted or not and in so far as the relief is concerned the probe agency has no role.

 

“Present petitioner is not the subject matter of the further investigation carried out by MDMA. The further investigation conducted by MDMA is only limited to the mandate provided to it by the Jain Commission Report,” the Central agency had said, adding that a progress report by MDMA on further investigation and its status was submitted to the designated court in Chennai. The Jain commission of inquiry in the assassination of the former Prime Minister has recommended a probe into larger conspiracy by MDMA and it required monitoring of absconding suspects and the role of Sri Lankan and Indian nationals in the case. The CBI had further said that the top court had already on March 14, 2018, dismissed an application by Perarivalan for recall of the May 11, 1999, verdict of the top court, holding him guilty in the case.