The Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has said that President Ram Nath Kovind is the appropriate authority to consider the plea by the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict, AG Perarivalan, seeking pardon and release from prison.
In an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, “Governor of Tamil Nadu considered all the facts on record and after perusal of relevant documents recorded that President of India is the appropriate competent authority” to deal with said request (for pardon).”
In September 2018, the Supreme Court had asked the Tamil Nadu Governor to decide the pardon plea as he “deemed fit”. The Tamil Nadu Cabinet had then recommended to the Governor to remit Perarivalan’s sentence and release him forthwith but the Governor has not yet taken a call on the same.
In an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, “Governor of Tamil Nadu considered all the facts on record and after perusal of relevant documents recorded that President of India is the appropriate competent authority” to deal with said request (for pardon),” the Central government said in its affidavit filed on Thursday.
Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had informed the Supreme Court that Governor Purohit will decide on the release plea in three to four days. Perarivalan had applied to the Governor for pardon on December 30, 2015.
On November 3, last year, the apex court had said “the investigation of Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) into the larger conspiracy behind Rajiv Gandhi assassination need not deter the Tamil Nadu Governor from deciding the plea for pardon of convicts like AG Perarivalan, who have been serving their sentence in jail for over two decades.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was told by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that the Governor of Tamil Nadu is the competent authority to take call on the request for remission.
In an affidavit filed on November 20, the CBI said that the “issue of remission of sentence is solely between the office of the Governor Banwarilal Purohit and the convict. It is for the Governor to decide whether or not to release Perarivalan, who is serving a life sentence.” The reply from the agency came after Perarivalan’s mother applied to the Tamil Nadu Governor for his release.
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