Families of those who lost their lives in the bomb blast that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi are furious with the Supreme Court verdict.
(Image: Altered by Namita Chauhan/ The Quint)
S Abbas was just 10 years old when his widowed mother S Samdhani Begum left for a meeting at Sriperumbudur to see the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Though Abbas' older brother requested her not to travel, his mother said, as if by premonition, that she would be honoured to 'even die at Gandhi's meeting.'
Begum returned home in a body bag.
On 18 May, the Supreme Court invoked powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and ordered the release of AG Perarivalan alias Arivu. Perarivalan was charged with procuring batteries for the bomb used in Gandhi's assassination.
While many across Tamil Nadu celebrated the release of AG Perarivalan, the families of those who were killed in the blast blamed the state government “for siding with criminals.”
S Abbas lost his widowed mother S Samdhani Begum, when he was 10 years old.
In Perarivalan's case, different courts of law had acknowledged that it has not been ascertained whether he knew that he had procured the batteries for the blast. His intent was not entirely clear in the case.
League Mohan, the son of League Munusamy – a former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) member of Legislative Council (MLC) who died in the blast along with Rajiv Gandhi recollected the fateful day when his family was called to the Sriperumbudur General Hospital to identify the bodies.
League Munusamy— a former TNCC Member of Legislative Council (MLC) who died in the blast along with Rajiv Gandhi.
Anasuya Earnest who was a sub-inspector back in 1991, still remembers the incident vividly. She was standing to the right of Gandhi that day, seconds before the LTTE suicide bomber set off the explosive. Though she survived the blast, she lost two fingers on her left hand, suffered severe burns all over her body, and was bedridden for weeks.
Anasuya Earnest who was a sub-inspector back in 1991, survived the blast.
She asked, “His mother wanted to release her son and make him a free man. So the Supreme Court granted that. So what can they do to breathe life into all those who died?”
Meanwhile, TNCC President K S Alagiri said that the Congress does not "want to criticise the judgment." He further added, "We want to affirm that they (the seven convicts) are murderers and not innocent."
The families had appealed to the state and Congress for years seeking monetary compensation and jobs, but they have not received any aid so far.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday, 18 May, said the Supreme Court's verdict declaring AG Perarivalan a free man has firmly established the state government's right. “The verdict is a huge victory for the principles of federalism and state autonomy,” he said.
Slamming the state for welcoming “a convict,” League Mohan asked, “They have a released a murderer today. Does this mean they are going to release all convicted murderers? Why did the chief minister have to take so much initiative?"
On the release of the other six convicts – Murugan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Jayachandran, and Nalini – the government will hold discussions with legal experts, after going through the judgment in Perarivalan's case, Chief Minister Stalin said.
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