Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Wednesday said that the Centre will examine the Tamil Nadu Government’s move to set free all seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case before taking any view.
His junior Minister RPN Singh termed the State Government’s decision as “wrong and extremely unfortunate”. The Centre and Congress together condemned as “perverse and populist” Tamil Nadu Government’s decision on early release of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s killers. “Since morning I have been enquiring my officials whether any letter has come (from the Tamil Nadu Government). But so far no letter has come. Once the letter comes, we will examine and take appropriate view,” Shinde said. Under Section 435 CrPC, the State Government has to seek the Centre’s nod for release of the convicts. The Tamil Nadu CM said if there was no response from the Centre within three days, her Government would invoke powers vested with it under Section 432 CrPC and release all the convicts. Union law Minister Kapil Sibal said Government would abide by SC’s decision commuting death penalty of convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, but took a jibe at BJP for not uttering a word on the issue while it had bayed for Afzal Guru’s blood.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he cannot say he is unhappy over commutation of the death sentence of three convicts in the Rajiv assasination case but still there was irreparable grief over the brutal killing of Rajiv Gandhi.
Slamming AIADMK government’s decision, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, “Any perverse decision is also liable for judicial scrutiny” but remained evasive when asked whether Congress will ask Centre to approach court in this matter. He insisted that there is a fundamental difference between commutation of a sentence and release or remission.
The party has already made it clear that it has no issue with the Supreme Court order commuting the death sentence of Rajiv killers to life imprisonment. “Every state has powers of remission but these are the powers, which are to be exercised by Constitutional functionaries” in the light of rules and regulations and the spirit of any judicial order.
“The nation cannot forget that it lost not only its Prime Minister but also 17 other Indian citizens including Tamils to terrorism. We condemn unequivocally such irresponsible statements and decisions by such Constitutional functionaries,” Singhvi said.