Congress calls Centre's petition against release of convicts in Rajiv assassination case as "belated wisdom dawning"

Congress MP K C Venugopal on Thursday termed the Central government's decision to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the November 11 order allowing the release of six convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case as "belated wisdom dawning".

Congress MP K C Venugopal on Thursday termed the Central government's decision to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the November 11 order allowing the release of six convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case as "belated wisdom dawning". Taking to Twitter the Congress leader accused the ruling Narendra Modi-led Central government of being "blatantly apathetic" towards the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

"GoI's decision to file a review petition against the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts is a case of belated wisdom dawning. BJP govt has been blatantly apathetic towards this case. What's the point in locking the door after the horse has bolted!" Venugopal wrote in his tweet. The Central government on Thursday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its November 11 order allowing the release of six convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Approaching the apex court, the Centre contended that the order was passed without hearing it. Seeking a review of the top court's order, the Centre said, "The order granting remission to the convicts who had assassinated the former Prime Minister of the country was passed without affording an adequate opportunity of hearing to Union of India."

On November 11, the Supreme Court ordered the release of six convicts including Nalini Sriharan and RP Ravichandran, who were serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination in the case. The assassins of Rajiv were set free by the top court on Friday on the grounds of having good conduct in jail.

A bench of BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna passed the order while taking into consideration the good conduct of convicts in the prison. The apex court had noted that they had been behind bars for a very long period.Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during a public rally.The seven convicts were sentenced to death for their role in the killing. Their names included Nalini Sriharan, RP Ravichandran, Jayakumar, Santhan, Murugan, Robert Payas, and AG Perarivalan. In the year 2000, Nalini Sriharan's sentence was reduced to a life term. Later in the year 2014, the sentence of the other six convicts was also reduced, and during the same year, the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalitha recommended the release of all the seven convicts in the case.

In May this year, one of the seven convicts, AG Perarivalan was released after spending 31 years in jail.Soon after the apex court gave its order to release these convicts, it has been criticized by political leaders and the Congress called the verdict "totally unacceptable and completely erroneous." Congress General Secretary in incharge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said that the party criticizes it clearly and finds it wholly untenable."The decision of the Supreme Court to free the remaining killers of former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi is totally unacceptable and completely erroneous. The Congress Party criticizes it clearly and finds it wholly untenable," the Congress MP said on Friday. (ANI)

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