Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Convict Perarivalan to be released soon

Supreme court on Wednesday ruled that one of the convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, AG Perarivalan will be released. He has been behind the bars for 31 years.

"State cabinet had taken its decision based on relevant considerations. In exercise of Article 142, it is appropriate to release the convict," the judges said.

The verdict could be a positive sign for the other six convicts in the cases including Nalini Sriharan and her husband Murugan, a Sri Lankan national, as they can also expect their release in the future. 

Perarivalan was convicted for buying the two 9-volt batteries for Sivarasan, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) man who masterminded the assassination. These batteries bought by Pararivalan were used in the bomb to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

In 1998, he was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court but in 2014 changed his punishment to life imprisonment 2014. 

Also in March 2022, the apex court granted Paraivalan was granted him bail.