Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict seeks parole

Chennai: A G Perarivalan, one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has sought parole for a month on the ground of his father’s ill health.

“I have recently given a petition to prison authorities, the Chief Minister’s cell and Perarivalan too has given a petition to jail officials seeking parole for a month,” mother of Perarivalan, Arputhammal told PTI.

44-year-old Perarivalan has been in prison since 1991 soon after the killing of Rajiv Gandhi in May that year in nearby Sriperumbudur.

She said her 74-year-old husband and father of Perarivalan, Gnanasekaran, was ill for some time now following neurological issues and intense stress.

“He is desperate to see his son, we have requested the authorities and the government to release him on parole,” she said.

In 2014, Jayalalithaa had announced that her government would release V Sriharan alias Murugan, A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Santhan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran.

However, the matter soon went to the Supreme Court and is pending there, with the Central government questioning the state’s powers to grant remission to them on specific grounds.