After Centre’s challenge, Supreme Court stays release of Rajiv killers
21 Feb 2014 12:04 AM GMT
On the other hand, PM Manmohan Singh denounced the Tamil Nadu state government order to free these convicts against all principles of justice. ‘The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was an attack on the soul of India. The release of the killers of a former Indian PM and our great leader, as well as several other innocent Indians, would be contrary to all principles of justice. No government or party should be soft in our fight against terrorism,’ Singh said in a statement on Thursday.
‘The government is moving a review petition in the Supreme Court on fundamental issues of law arising from the assassination of the late Rajiv Gandhi.
We have also informed the Tamil Nadu government that their proposed course of action to release the killers of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is not legally tenable and should not be proceeded with,’ added Singh.
Following the Centre’s plea, a three-judge bench headed by chief justice P Sathasivam directed the state government to maintain status quo on the issue of the three convicts whose death sentence was commuted to life term by it. It added the Centre can file a fresh petition regarding the other four prisoners whose sentence has also been remitted.
The order said that all procedural checks laid down in the law have not been followed by the state government and it will examine the issue raised by the Centre.
The bench issued notices to the Tamil Nadu government and the convicts and directed them to
file response within two weeks.
In another development on Thursday, Harithra Sriharan, the daughter of Murugan and Nalini, sought forgiveness from the late former prime minister’s son Rahul Gandhi.
‘The government is moving a review petition in the Supreme Court on fundamental issues of law arising from the assassination of the late Rajiv Gandhi.
We have also informed the Tamil Nadu government that their proposed course of action to release the killers of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is not legally tenable and should not be proceeded with,’ added Singh.
Following the Centre’s plea, a three-judge bench headed by chief justice P Sathasivam directed the state government to maintain status quo on the issue of the three convicts whose death sentence was commuted to life term by it. It added the Centre can file a fresh petition regarding the other four prisoners whose sentence has also been remitted.
The order said that all procedural checks laid down in the law have not been followed by the state government and it will examine the issue raised by the Centre.
The bench issued notices to the Tamil Nadu government and the convicts and directed them to
file response within two weeks.
In another development on Thursday, Harithra Sriharan, the daughter of Murugan and Nalini, sought forgiveness from the late former prime minister’s son Rahul Gandhi.
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