President rejects TN Govt's request to release Rajiv assassination convicts
New Delhi, Jun 15 (IBNS) : President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected the Tamil Nadu government’s request to release from prison the seven convicts in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, media reports said.
According to reports, the President has conveyed to the State government that the “Centre doesn’t concur with its view” to release the prisoners. The President is bound by the advice of his Council of Ministers in such matters.
“The President has rejected the Tamil Nadu government’s plea to free the prisoners on the advice of the Home Ministry. This has been conveyed to the State. The assassins of the former Prime Minister of India cannot walk free under any circumstances,” The Hindu quoted a top official as saying.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber, engaged by the LTTE in Tamil Nadu's Sriperambudur on May 21, 1991 when he was on a visit to the place.
In the last four years, the State government has written twice to the Home Ministry to pardon the convicts and release them on humanitarian grounds.
The Supreme Court in December 2015 said the State government had no power to release the convicts without the Centre’s concurrence.
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