Ram Jethmalani defends decision to release Rajiv Gandhi assassins

Advocate Ram Jethmalani, on Saturday defended the decision of the Tamil Nadu Government to release the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi.

Jethmalani said that he clearly opposes capital punishment in this case.

"I have often wondered that what would have happened if the men in this trial were sentenced to death. Speaking for myself, if I was the judge of the Supreme Court, I would not have passed the sentence in this case at all," said Jethmalani.

He also took a dig at Rajiv Gandhi blaming him of betraying Indian interest in the past.

"He soon enough got involved in Bofors. And, it is the Bofors phase of his life that made him enter into a pact with Sri Lanka with a very fox-like politician called Jayawardene (former Sri Lankan President, Junius Richard Jayawardene) and I think that Indo-Ceylon pact that he entered into was a great betrayal of Indian interest. And, those who were treated as state guests and given training and money, they were exposed to be killed by Indian army which was sent to Sri Lanka. It certainly was betrayal and a case of great provocation, though within the meaning of penal code, it cannot be called grave and sudden provocation," he said.

Jethmalani had appeared for the defence of three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, in their plea against death sentence.

On Thursday the Supreme Court postponed the hearing on the Centre's plea against the Tamil Nadu Government's decision to release seven prisoners convicted in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case till March 26.