Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: TN Governor says President is competent authority to decide on Perarivalan's pardon, Centre tells SC

The Central government on Thursday apprised the Supreme Court that the Tamil Nadu Governor, after considering all the facts on record and relevant documents, said that the President of India is the "appropriate competent authority" to deal with pardon plea of AG Perarivalan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

"The Governor of Tamil Nadu considered all the facts on record and after perusal of the relevant documents, recorded that the President of India is the appropriate competent authority to deal with the said request for remission matter vide his order dated January 25, 2021. The proposal received by the Central government will be proceeded in accordance with the law," the affidavit filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday stated.

The affidavit filed by the Home Ministry on behalf of the government has been filed in pursuance of the Supreme Court's January 21, 2021 order whereby it had asked the Tamil Nadu Governor to decide Perarivalan's plea for remission of sentence.

Last month, the apex court had informed the Centre that the Tamil Nadu Governor will decide on the state government's recommendation for remission of Perarivalan's sentence in three-four days.

The apex court has been hearing a petition filed by Perarivalan seeking release from the prison based on the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government in September 2018.

A Bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao, hearing the case, had earlier expressed unhappiness over the fact that the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu state government for the remission of the sentence had been pending before the Governor for over two years.

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.

On February 18, 2014, the apex court had commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding the mercy pleas by the Centre.

( With inputs from ANI )