Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case: SC dismisses plea seeking stay on premature release of 7 convicts

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a plea on seeking direction and opposing the Tamil Nadu government's decision of pre-mature release of all seven accused in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The pleas were filed by the families of those killed along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, opposing to the Tamil Nadu government's 2014 decision to release all seven convicts in the case.

Hearing the case, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi had said "we don't find any merit in your petition."

A constitutional bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi said, "All aspects were covered in the earlier constitution bench verdict in the case and therefore nothing survives in the case".

In 2014, the then J Jayalalithaa-led state government had decided premature release of all seven convicts in the case.

Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. At least 14 others were also killed in the suicide blast.

The attack was carried out by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, also known as Dhanu, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and a militant organization from Sri Lanka.

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