Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said the government will decide on the release of remaining six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Speaking to reporters here after the apex court ordered the release of A.G. Perarivalan one of the seven convicts in the case, Stalin said the government will study the judgement, discuss with legal experts and then take steps to release the others. The other six life convicts are: Nalini, V Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and P. Ravichandran.
All the convicts are in prison since 1991, the year a woman LTTE suicide bomber blew up herself, killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on the spot at an election rally near Chennai. The Tamil Nadu government has passed a resolution for the release of all the convicts, but the Governor didn't take a decision on the same. Terming the Supreme Court order as historic one, Stalin said it reiterates the cooperative federalism in the country. He said the DMK had said its government would work towards the release of seven convicts. The apex court has reiterated the right of state government and said the Governor has no right to intervene in the policy decisions.