The Supreme Court on Friday directed the premature release of the remaining six convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Nalini, Santhan, Murugan, AG Perarivalan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran were sentenced to life imprisonment and they were in jail for 23 years in connection with the case.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to release Perarivalan.

In September, the Tamil Nadu government had favoured the premature release of Sriharan and Ravichandran, saying its 2018 aid and advice for remission of their life sentence is binding upon the governor.

Both Nalini and Ravichandran have been on parole from December 27, 2021 till date as sanctioned by the Tamil Nadu government under the Tamil Nadu Suspension of Sentence Rules, 1982 based on their request.

The state government had said it is the competent authority to take a decision on the petition filed by Nalini and Ravichandran under Article 161 of the Constitution and “the decision of the state cabinet on September 9, 2018 thereon is final and it can be exercised by governor of Tamil Nadu as per the aid and advice of the cabinet”.

On September 26, the apex court had asked the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to submit their replies on a plea filed by Sriharan and Ravichandran seeking premature release.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at an election rally in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed in the incident.

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