Rajiv Gandhi killing case: President rejects Tamil Nadu’s plea to release convicts

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday rejected the Tamil Nadu government's request to release the seven prisoners convicted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991 on humanitarian grounds.

According to a report on Hindu, Kovind conveyed the government that the "Centre doesn't concur with its view" to release the prisoners. The President is bound by the advice of his Council of Ministers in such matters.

Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had written to Union home ministry informing them about its decision to release the seven convicts in the case.

In a three-page latter, the TN chief secretary K Gnanadesikan said, "all these seven have spent the last 24 years in prison after the capital punishment awarded to them was commuted to life in prison."

The convicts are V Sriharan alias Murugan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan, AG Perarivalan alias Arivu, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini.

Among them Ravi, Robert Piaz, Nalini and Jayakumar are undergoing life terms in the case relating to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi during an election rally in Sriperumpudur in May 1991.