The Tamil Nadu Governor will take a decision on the release of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case once the CBI-led Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) submits its report, State Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam said on Friday.
The MDMA was set up to probe the larger conspiracy behind the assassination of the former Prime Minister.
Mr. Shanmugam told the Assembly that the Governor’s Secretariat had responded to a letter sent by the Tamil Nadu government seeking an update on the State Cabinet’s recommendation to release the seven convicts. “We had a sent a letter to the Governor’s Secretariat seeking an update. They have given a reply to the Home Secretary that once the MDMA submits its report on the larger conspiracy, the Governor will consider the findings and decide,” the Minister said.
He was replying to MLA U. Thaniyarasu, who raised the issue during the debate on the demand for grants for the Law Department. Mr. Thaniyarasu also raised the issue of granting parole to the convicts in the case, who have been in prison for 28 years. Mr. Shanmugam replied that the government had in fact given parole to Perarivalan twice based on rules and would go by the guidelines in granting parole to others.
Mr. Thaniyarasu also sought better facilities and food for prisoners and prison reforms. Mr. Shanmugam replied that the government was looking at the best practices in prisons of other States and countries and would try and implement them.
