Rahul Gandhi Says He’s Saddened That Rajiv Gandhi’s Killers Are Being Set Free

CHENNAI – Reacting toJayalalithaa decision to set freeall seven convicts in the RajivGandhi case, Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi onWednesday said, “I am saddenedthat Rajiv Gandhi’s killers arebeing set free.””If a Prime Minister’s killers canbe released, what kind of justiceshould the common manexpect?” Rahul Gandhi said.”The Prime Minister of ourcountry was killed, I am sad thekillers are being released,” hesaid.In a surprise move welcomed byseveral parties, including archrivalDMK, the Jayalalithaa governmenton Wednesday decidedto set free all seven convicts inthe Rajiv Gandhi assassinationcase, a day after the SupremeCourt commuted the deathpenalty of three of them to life.The Congress party has condemnedas “perverse and populist”Tamil Nadu government’sdecision.Earlier in the day, chief ministerJayalalithaa announced in thestate assembly the decisiontaken at the emergency Cabinetmeeting held this morning, triggeringcelebrations by pro-Eelam supporters in severalplaces in the state.The Supreme Court had onTuesday commuted the deathsentence of Murugan, Santhan(both Sri Lankan Tamils) and AG Perarivalan on the ground of11 years delay in consideringtheir mercy pleas by the Centre.The Tamil Nadu governmentset a three-day deadline for itselfand also to the Centre over therelease of the three and Nalini,Robert Pious, Jayakumar andRavichandran, who are undergoinglife sentence for their rolein the assassination of Gandhiby an LTTE suicide bomber onMay 21, 1991 in nearbySriperumbudur.Jayalalithaa, making a suo motustatement in the assembly, saidthat soon after the SupremeCourt reprieve to three deathrow convicts she consulted legalexperts on the observation ofthe apex court that state couldconsider their release in thebackdrop of them spendingabout 23 years of incarcerationsince their arrest in 1991.She said her government wouldsend the Cabinet proposal tothe Centre as mandated underSec 435 Cr.PC seeking its nodfor release of convicts andasserted if there was noresponse within three days, thegovernment would invoke powersvested with it under Sec 432Cr.PC and release all seven convicts.