Who is AG Perarivalan? Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict to walk free after 31 years
Perarivalan, who was nineteen years old at the time of the killing, was accused of purchasing two 9-volt batteries for Sivarasan, the LTTE member who masterminded the assassination. The batteries were used in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
FollowThe Supreme Court ordered the release of AG Perarivalan, one of seven prisoners serving life sentences in connection with the death of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Arivu, alias A G Perarivalan, is the son of Tamil poet Kuyildasan.
Perarivalan, who was nineteen years old at the time of the killing, was accused of purchasing two 9-volt batteries for Sivarasan, the LTTE member who masterminded the assassination. The batteries were used in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
A TADA court sentenced Perarivalan to death in 1998, and the verdict was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1999. On February 18, 2014, the Supreme Court remitted the conviction to life imprisonment, along with the death sentences handed down to the two prisoners in the case, Murugan and Santhan.
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In August 2017, he was granted parole for the first time to see his sick father, a Tamil poet and retired schoolteacher. According to the parole decision, he had finished the sentences imposed on him for the many offences for which he had been convicted, and he was only serving time in prison under Section 302 (penalty for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The order said that it was up to the proper authorities (the state government) to assess the convict's case.
Hearing his complaint about the delay in determining his remission petition, the Supreme Court ruled in September 2018 that the Governor had the authority to decide on his claim. Within days, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, led by then-Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, recommended the release of all seven of the case's defendants. However, the Governor opted to ignore the Cabinet's suggestion.
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In January 2021, the Supreme Court voiced its concern with the Governor's lengthy delay and warned that the court would be obliged to make a judgement. The government counsel guaranteed that the decision would not be postponed any longer. The Governor's office, however, took everyone by surprise when it referred the matter to President Ram Nath Kovind for a decision in February 2021.
Perarivalan, who has been in solitary confinement for many years, has a very good prison record. During his lengthy sentence, he had obtained a number of academic credentials. He has also written a book.
