Rajiv Gandhi assassination: SC seeks Centre's opinion on releasing Perarivalan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central Government if it is willing to set free convict AG Perarivalan in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case or not.

The Centre has challenged Tamil Nadu government's decision to release Perarivalan in the assassination of the former prime minister who was killed by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India on Tuesday, May 21, 1991.

Perarivalan is on life imprisonment along with Murugan and Santhan who were other two convicts of the same case.

A division bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi and also comprising Justices Navin Sinha granted two weeks time to the Centre to reply in this case.

The top court fixed the matter for further hearing to December 6.

Perarivalan was arrested on June 11, 1991, at Periyar Thidal, Chennai by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers. He is charged with providing a 9-volt battery for the explosive device to assassination conspirator Sivarasan.

His death penalty finally commuted to life term imprisonment after Supreme Court verdict on February 18, 2014.

On August 25, for the first time since his arrest in 1991 Perarivalan was granted parole by the Tamil Nadu Government.