SC stay on release of Rajiv assassins

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's move to release all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case hit procedural hurdles in the Supreme Court on Thursday when the bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam directed the state government to maintain status quo.

Soon after Wednesday's announcement of the state government's decision to release the convicts, the Centre swiftly moved the court on Thursday and filed that its review petitions in the three cases, where the court had turned the death penalty into life sentence, were yet to be heard. Solicitor-General Mohan Parasaran filed the convicts should not be released till the questions raised in the petitions were decided.

The court had commuted the sentence on the ground of inordinate delay in deciding their mercy petitions.

The court issued notices to the state government and convicts and adjourned the case till March 6. All parties will file their responses in two weeks.

The chief justice observed the procedure by which state governments could release prisoners be examined.

Cong welcomes stay order, Vaiko upset
A day after Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's remark in Amethi on Wednesday that if a former prime minister could not get justice, what would be the fate of the common man, the prime minister declared Tamil Nadu's decision legally untenable.

Tamil Nadu remained calm. However, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko was against the stay.