Perarivalan, Rajiv Gandhi case convict, walks out of prison on bail

A G Perarivalan, one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, on Tuesday walked out of the prison on bail for the first time in 31 years of his incarceration following last week’s Supreme Court order.

Perarivalan, who was on parole for the past nine months but was confined to his home in Jolarpet in Tiruppattur district due to stringent conditions imposed by the government, availed bail from the Central Prison in Puzhal near here on Tuesday afternoon.

Though the Supreme Court granted bail last week, the bail was executed by the designated TADA court on March 12 after which the formalities were completed on Tuesday. Flanked by his mother Arputham Ammal, who has been fighting a relentless battle to get her son released from jail, Perarivalan posed for pictures and thanked the media and people for their support.

“This is just a temporary relief. The permanent relief will be only when he walks out of the prison forever. We hope that will happen soon,” Arputham Ammal told the waiting media. Perarivalan’s mother knocked every doors at the judiciary and the executive in the past 31 years seeking his son’s release as she believes he is “innocent.”

Also read: Rajiv assassination convict Perarivalan's mother planning his wedding

Perarivalan is one of the seven convicts in the sensational assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister, in Sriperumbudur near here on May 21, 1991. Nalini, Murugan, Ravichandran and three others are also accused in the case after their death sentences were reduced to life sentence due to various reasons.

Ever since his arrest in June 1991, this is the first time Perarivalan has secured bail in the case – he was released on parole from jail for the first time in 2017 and the DMK government after it came to power gave him parole once again and kept extending it every month.

During his prison term, Perarivalan completed several degrees during his prison term and his good conduct was cited as one of the reasons while providing bail despite objections from the Centre. Perarivalan has been charged with buying two battery cells for Sivarasan, the mastermind who used them in the bomb that was tied around Dhanu’s stomach that killed Gandhi.

The seven convicts’ release is an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu and the then Edappadi K Palaniswami cabinet passed a resolution in 2018 recommending their release from prison. However, the state Governor is yet to take a call on the recommendation, despite pressure from successive governments.

Check out latest videos from DH: