SC grants bail to convict A G Perarivalan in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to A G Perarivalan, serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai took note of the submission that the convict has been in jail for over 30 years and his conduct inside the prison and during the period of parole has been satisfactory.

The top court was hearing the plea of 47-year-old Perarivalan seeking suspension of his life sentence in the case till the MDMA probe is completed.

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.

Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed. Gandhi's assassination was probably the first case in the country of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile leader.

In its May 1999 order, the top court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts -- Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini.

On February 18, 2014, the top court had commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with that of two other prisoners -- Santhan and Murugan -- on the grounds of an 11-year delay in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.