Rajiv killers: Should they hang?

For 20 years, these three men have lived behind bars, hoping to be forgiven one day. But that hasn't happened. Now forced to knock on the high court's doors, Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan - the three men condemned to the gallows in the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case - have managed to get a stay of eight weeks on their execution.

Madras HC gives lease of life to Rajiv killers

The Madras high court on Tuesday stayed for eight weeks the hanging of the three convicts sentenced to death for conspiring to assassinate former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Hearing the petitions filed by Murugan alias Sriharan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan and AG Perarivalan
alias Arivu that their death sentence be commuted, the high court ordered an interim stay on the hanging pending disposal of the case.

The court has ordered notice to the union government returnable in eight weeks.

On Aug 11, President Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petitions of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan - all linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - and sentenced them to death for their involvement in Gandhi's 1991 assassination.

Rajiv Gandhi, who was prime minister 1984-89, was killed by a suicide bomber called Dhanu at an election rally in Sriperumbudur near Chennai May 21.

Fourteen other people also lost their lives in the blast.

The three condemned prisoners, who were due to hang September 9, had on Monday moved the high court to commute their sentence to life imprisonment.

Arguing for Perarivalan, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani said the clemency petition was rejected by the President after 11 years and the delay is prima facie wrong.

He said a notice seeking explanation for the delay should be sent.

Urging speedy disposal of mercy petitions, Jethmalani had said earlier that if there was a delay of two years, then the death sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment. This provision was later changed.

Vaiko pleads to save convicts of Rajiv Gandhi murder

The leader of the MDMK, Vaiko, believes there are still chances to save the lives of three men sentenced to death in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

In Vellore on Friday Vaiko repeated a suggestion that Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister should intervene to stop the execution.

His comments came after he visited the convicts Murugan, Santhan and Periravalan at the Central Prison in Vellore.

Vaiko said India’s top lawyers, who fight against the death penalty  Ramjethmalani, Colin Gonsalvez and Wahid Chowdry will hold a meeting and are expected to give their opinion in the case. Vaiko said the three men convicted of involvement in the assassination in 1991 are innocent.

Family members of Perarivalan held a fast, demanding a stay on the execution of death sentence.

Following the dismissal of the mercy petition filed by the three assassins, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, protests against the execution by various political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and associations are increasing day by day.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Perarivalan’s father, Kuyildasan, led a fast demanding a stay on the Union Government’s execution of death punishment. The fast was organised by the Thamizhar Padhukappu Iyakkam near the Jolarpet railway junction. They were joined by the members of the Vidhuthalai Siruthaigal Party.

In Chennai a flash rail roko by the students of Dr Ambedkar Law College, demanding clemency, for the Rajiv Gandhi murder convicts disrupted the traffic on the Beach - Tambaram and Velachery - Beach section for about 30 minutes on Friday.