HC notice to SIC on Rajiv case convict’s Dutt remission plea

The Bombay High Court has issued notice to the Maharashtra State Information Commission on a plea filed last year by a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking details of the early release of actor Sanjay Dutt convicted in the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blast case.

A division bench of Justices KK Tated and RI Chagla on Wednesday heard the plea filed by A G Perarivalan (48), who intends to cite Dutt's case to seek early release for himself.

The court issued a notice to the State Information Commission and posted the plea for further hearing next month.

Perarivalan had approached HC in July last year after he failed to get proper response from the Maharashtra prison department to queries filed by him under Right to Information Act.

The convict had sought information pertaining to Dutt's early release.

Perarivalan, at the age of 19, was convicted to life imprisonment for having provided two 9-volt batteries which were used in the bomb that killed former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

He is presently lodged at the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai and has spent 30 years in jail.

In his petition, Perarivalan said that in March 2016 he filed an application before Yerwada prison authorities seeking information pertaining to Dutt's release on early remission, and if the Centre and state government's opinions were taken before deciding to grant Dutt early remission.