Rajiv Gandhi Assassination

Release of Rajiv case convicts spotlights AICC-TNCC struggle for power

Absence of staunch opposition by the KS Alagiri-led Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) leadership to the recent release of six Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts was among the reasons cited by a senior office-bearer who offered to quit the party days ago and it is a pointer to the dynamics involved in the ties between the TNCC and the ruling DMK. Congress party's R Kamaraj, who said he is "quitting his post of president" of Tuticorin North District party unit referred to the release of convicts. "Be it the release of Perarivalan or the recent release of six convicts, nothing noteworthy was initiated by the party's State unit under Alagiri to oppose it," 62-year old Kamaraj told PTI, who is a party worker for over four decades. Kamaraj accused TNCC chief K S Alagiri of being only involved in efforts to "protect his interests." He blamed the State unit leadership of not even organising demonstrations on key issues. "The party has only taken part in protests held by allies lik

Congress to file review petition in SC on release of Rajiv case convicts

The Congress will file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the decision to release the convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, party sources said on Monday. The petition challenging the grounds set out in the order will be filed this week, they said. The Centre has already filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the release of the convicts.

Cong slams Govt for filing petition against release of Rajiv case convicts

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at the government for filing a review petition in the Supreme Court against the release of convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, saying it is "a case of belated wisdom". "Government's decision to file review petition against the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts is a case of belated wisdom dawning," said AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal. "BJP government has been blatantly apathetic towards this case. What's the point in locking the door after the horse has bolted!" he said on Twitter. Facing criticism from the Congress, the government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its order for premature release of six convicts in the assassination case. The Centre said the order granting remission to the convicts, who had assassinated the former prime minister, was passed without affording it adequate opportunity for hearing despite it being a necessary party to the case. The government ...

Centre files review petition against Rajiv Gandhi convicts' release

The Centre filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the November 11 order allowing the release of all convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

LIVE: Explosion in heart of Turkey's Istanbul; several feared wounded

Catch all the latest updates from across the world here

Priyanka Gandhi posed questions on Rajiv's assassination: Nalini Sriharan

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked about the killing of her father Rajiv Gandhi when she met her in prison in 2008, Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts freed in the former prime minister's assassination case said here on Sunday. Priyanka Gandhi turned emotional and cried when she met her in the Vellore Central Prison over a decade ago, Nalini told reporters here answering a question on the meeting. Now, a Congress party leader, she had then sought to know about the assassination of her father and Nalini said she divulged whatever she knew. Other things that transpired in that meeting cannot be disclosed as it pertained to Priyanka's personal views, she said. Nalini was freed on November 12 following a Supreme Court order.

North Indians should see us as victims, not killers: Rajiv case convict

"Our judges know everything. They have studied our case. They know what is wrong and what is correct and what they can do, they have done it," Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the case, said

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Nalini, 4 other convicts released from prisons

Nalini Sriharan, her husband and three other convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were released from Tamil Nadu prisons on Saturday evening. Immediately after she was released from the special prison for women in Vellore, Nalini went to the Vellore central prison from where her husband V Sriharan alias Murugan was released and became emotional upon seeing him. Murugan, along with Santhan, both Sri Lankan nationals, were taken in a police vehicle following their release to the special refugee camp in Tiruchirappalli in the state. Two other Lankan nationals -- Robert Payas and Jayakumar -- released from the Puzhal prison here, were taken to the special refugee camp in Tiruchirappalli to be lodged there. Earlier, another convict who was set free in May earlier, Perarivalan, along with his mother Arputhammal received the duo at the Puzhal prison.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: Convicts likely to be released in evening

Six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, including Nalini Sriharan, are likely to be released this evening, a senior official indicated on Saturday. The prison officials set into motion the process of releasing all six of them including four Sri Lankan nationals, following the receipt of the Supreme Court's Friday order copy setting them at liberty. Nalini's husband V Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar are Sri Lankans while Nalini and R P Ravichandran, belong to Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court on Friday set free Nalini Sriharan and five other remaining convicts, who are serving life term for about three decades in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, noting that its earlier order releasing another convict A G Perarivalan was equally applicable to them. Earlier in the day, with relief writ large on her face, Nalini on parole for a month, was escorted by the police to sign at the Katpadi police station. Late in the afternoon she was taken to the ...

SC orders release of 6 convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered premature release of Nalini Sriharan and R P Ravichandran serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Both of them had moved the top court seeking premature release. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and B V Nagarathna said the judgement of the top court in the case of A G Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the case, is applicable in their matter. Invoking its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution, the top court had on May 18 ordered the release of Perarivalan, who had served over 30 years in jail. 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.

Centre disbands MDMA formed to probe Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

The government has wound up the 24-year-old Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) constituted to probe the wider conspiracy into the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, officials have said. MDMA was working under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and comprised officers from multiple central security agencies. The order to disband the agency was issued in May and the pending investigation has been handed over to a different unit of the CBI, the officials said. The agency was set up in 1998 for two years on the recommendation of MC Jain Commission and was given annual extensions, but it failed to achieve any major breakthrough. The agency, headed by a deputy inspector general of police-ranked officer, had sent 24 Letters Rogatory to countries like Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Malaysia seeking information on various aspects of the case, including banking transactions. Over 20 requests were responded to by these countries and only few were remaining

TN agrees for pre-mature release of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination convicts

The Tamil Nadu government recommended the pre-mature release of convicts who are serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: SC issues notice on Nalini, Ravichandran pleas

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government on the petitions of S. Nalini and R.P. Ravichandran, convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: Convict Nalini moves SC seeking release

She has challenged June 17 order of Madras High Court, which rejected her plea for early release, and cited the SC judgement ordering release of co-convict A G Perarivalan while seeking to be set free

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Ravichandran moves SC seeking release

P Ravichandran, one of the convicts serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, approached the Supreme Court, seeking release from prison

Rajiv Gandhi case: Madras HC refuses to order release of convicts

The Madras High Court on Friday refused to direct the Tamil Nadu government to release Nalini and Ravichandran, who were convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, without the Governor's assent

My father's death biggest learning experience of my life: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was left stumped and emotional at the University of Cambridge by a question linked to his father Rajiv Gandhi's assassination

Perarivalan's release stokes embers of Tamil sub-nationalism in TN

Apart from the two big Dravidian parties, smaller political parties that were constituted on the basis of Tamil nationalism also welcomed the release of Perarivalan

Ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi's policies helped shape modern India: Rahul Gandhi

Remembering former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his 31st death anniversary, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his father was a visionary leader whose policies helped shape modern India

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: SC orders release of convict after 31 years

In 2018, the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict has submitted an early release plea to the Governor under Article 161