Cong to seek review of SC order on release of Rajiv killing convicts

New Delhi: The Congress will file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the decision to release six convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, party sources said on Monday. The petition will be filed this week, they said.

The Congress had called the SC judgment "highly problematic", "completely erroneous", and "totally unacceptable".

"A fresh review application challenging the Supreme Court decision to release the convicts on the grounds set out in the order will be filed on behalf of the party in the next few days," a party insider said

Facing criticism from Congress, the government last week moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its order for the premature release of the convicts in the case.

The Supreme Court on November 11 directed the premature release of the six, including Nalini Sriharan and R P Ravichandran, serving a life term in the case. It noted that the Tamil Nadu government has recommended remission of their sentence.

Besides Nalini and Ravichandran, the four others released were Santhan, Murugan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar.

The top court also took into account that their conduct was satisfactory during incarceration.

The decision of the Congress is interesting since members of the Gandhi family have made statements in the past suggesting they have forgiven Rajiv Gandhi's killers. Sonia Gandhi, for instance, had in 1999 written to then President K R Narayanan, urging him to commute the capital punishment awarded to convicts, including A G Perarivalan, Santhan, Murugan and his wife Nalini.

In 2008, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had met Nalini at Vellore Central Jail. Neither Sonia nor Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka has com-mented on the SC verdict. The party's decision, however, is unlikely to have come without their knowledge or approval.

The Congress had in the past maintained that it respects the position of the Gandhis but as an institution, it has to take a stand on the release of terror convicts.