New Delhi: Calling the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi gruesome, the Centre today refused Tamil Nadu’s proposal to release the seven assassins and said the killers do not deserve leniency, DC reported.
“The releasing of killers of former PM Rajiv Gandhi will set a very dangerous precedent. The case has been decided by various forum of judiciary and executive and the prisoners do not deserve to be set free… The Centre, in pursuance of section 435 of the Criminal Procedure Code does not concur with the proposal of Tamil Nadu government for grant of further remissions of sentence to seven convicts,” said the Centre to the Supreme Court.
“Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was the most heinous and gruesome crime, the brutal Act brought the Indian democratic process to a grinding halt in as much as the general election to the Lok Sabha and the convicts do not deserve any leniency,” said the Central Government.
Earlier the CBI that had investigated the case opposed the release of the convicts in SC and the same was conveyed to the Tamil Nadu government on April 18.
A constitution bench of the apex court in 2015 had observed that the convicts will not be released without the consent of the Central government.