The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the release of three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The decision by the apex court has come on a plea by the Centre against Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release all seven convicts in the case.
The court will now hear state and others in the case on March 8. The court said the state is expected to comply with the procedural checks and that the court was ‘inclined’ to go into the issue. Remission is not automatic and that every state is obligated to follow the procedure before releasing any convict, ruled the court.
The Tamil Nadu government had opposed the Centre’s plea to restrain the state from proceeding in the case. The apex court told the TN government that the court was not underestimating the state’s power but it acquired to be assured of procedural compliance by the state.
The development comes a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announced after a Cabinet meet that all the convicts would be allowed to walk free. The plea will be heard at 12:45 pm on Thursday.
Jayalalithaa had told the state Assembly that the Centre had three days to respond to the decision, after which her government would exercise its power to free the convicts.
While commuting the sentences of A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Sriharan alias Murugan and T Suthentiraraja alias Santhan, the Supreme Court had left it open for Tamil Nadu to grant remissions to them under the executive powers of the state government.
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