Rajiv case convict’s mother seeks son’s release

Chennai, Sept. 24: The mother of one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case Monday met Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit to seek her son’s release following a top court order and the state Cabinet’s recommendation.

Arputhammal, the mother A. G. Perarivalan, said she met Mr Purohit at Raj Bhavan here and submitted a petition with some related material, and exuded confidence he will accept her demand.

Among the documents she submitted to Purohit was Supreme Court judge K. T. Thomas’ reported remarks about some “serious flaws” in the CBI investigation in the case and details on her son’s conduct during release on parole, she said.

Mr Thomas had last year reportedly written to the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, wife of Rajiv Gandhi, requesting her to show magnanimity towards her husband’s killers and help in remission of their sentences.

“The Tamil Nadu government had adopted a cabinet resolution ( on the release of convicts) and sent the file to Raj Bhavan. You all know that their release is pending for his signature ( of approval),” she told reporters.

The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu had on September 9 recommended to Mr Purohit the release of all the seven life convicts in the case, a move hailed by most political parties in the state barring the Congress.

The Cabinet had decided to release the convicts V Sriharan alias Murugan, T Suthanthiraraja alias Santhan, Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini, under Article 161 of the Constitution which relates to the power of the governor to grant pardon and to suspend, remit and commute sentences in certain cases.

Arputhammal said the meeting was ‘ cordial’ and the governor went through her petition, and that he even suggested some corrections which were made.