Chennai, Oct 30 (ANI): Women supporters of assassins of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi staged a mass demonstration here on Saturday demanding the immediate release of the three convicts- Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan.
The latest developments came after the Madras High Court on Friday adjourned to November 29 the hearing on the bail petitions filed by Gandhi's assassins.
Scores of women gathered on the roads here and shouted anti-government slogans.
Expressing her unhappiness over the verdict of the court, Revathi, a protestor here, said they want all three accused to be released immediately.
"The Chennai High Court yesterday and the Central Government stood by its stand that it will hang Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan, ignoring and insulting the deep sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, which we are very shocked and very angry about," said Revathi.
"Tamil Nadu Government has also said that it cannot intervene in this matter despite many activists and lawyers pointing it out that the state government has the power, the Tamil Nadu Government does not want to use its power which also very appalling. We have decided that we will continue this struggle committee until this death penalty is commuted," she added.
Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber at an election rally in Sriperumbedur on May 21, 1991. Fourteen other people also lost their lives in that blast.
In 1999, the three convicts - Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan - were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for being part of the group that conspired to kill Gandhi.
They were scheduled to be hanged on September 9. But the Madras High Court suspended their execution by eight weeks. Their mercy petitions, filed 11 years ago asking for their sentence to be commuted to life in prison, have been rejected by President Pratibha Patil.
The convicts have appealed to the High Court against this decision on the grounds that the President"s office showed "an inordinate and inexplainable delay" in deciding their mercy petitions and so it violates Article 21 of the Constitution (Protection of life and personal liberty).
After Nalini, married to Murugan, gave birth to a baby girl in jail, her death sentence was commuted to life at the request of Sonia Gandhi. (ANI)
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