Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Ravichandran moves SC seeking release

NEW DELHI: P Ravichandran, one of the convicts serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on Monday approached the Supreme Court, seeking release from prison, similar to fellow convict AG Perarivalan.

Ravichandran, who has been in jail for 30 years now, sought interim bail until his case for formal release reaches a conclusion.

In June, the Madras High Court had dismissed his plea saying that High Courts do not have the special powers that the Supreme Court has under Article 142 of the Constitution and hence cannot order the release, like the top court did for AG Perarivalan in May 2022.

The High Court had said Ravichandran could approach the Supreme Court if his plea was based on Perarivalan's release.

On May 18, the Supreme Court had evoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to release AG Perarivalan, who was one of the seven convicts in the assassination case.

Following Perarivalan's release, Ravichandran had sent a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin seeking the release of the remaining six convicts, including him and mentioned that the Governor has kept the files of release without consideration for over three years which he condemns as an anti-constitutional approach.

Deciding Perarivalan's plea for premature release from jail based on the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government in September 2018, the apex court ordered his release, while the six other convicts remain in jail.

Ravichandran in his appeal against the High Court order has cited Perarivalan's order of the apex court.

Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally.