HC adjourns plea of Rajiv case convicts seeking early release

The Madras High Court today adjourned till November 11 hearing of petitions filed by two life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking premature release after the government submitted that a similar plea was pending before the Supreme Court.
When the petitions by Sri Lankan national B Robert Payas and Jayakumar came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices Rajiv Shakdher and M Satishkumar, Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan told it about the pendency of the matter related to their premature release in the apex court.
Following this, the court adjourned the petitions to November 11.
In their petitions, filed years ago, the duo had sought inclusion of their names in the list of prisoners prepared by the state government for premature release.

At a previous hearing, the Centre had argued against the premature release of both Payas and Jayakumar.
It had cited the apex court's ruling that life sentence meant imprisonment for the entire life of a person.
The government had also referred to the state government's proposal in 2014 to remit the life sentences and release all seven convicts in the case, including the two petitioners, and said it was under challenge in the Supreme Court.
Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber on May 21, 1991 during an election rally at Sriperumbudur near here.