Rajiv killing conspirators not to be free for now, kin dismayed

Arputhammal told reporters in Chennai that she had been making arrangements to receive Perarivalan alais Arivu from the Vellore Jail but was now at loss of words to express herself.

She said the apex court's decision was unexpected but she would continue her fight against the death sentence.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu during an election rally.

Extending its order restraining the state government from releasing these convicts, the apex court framed several questions to be addressed by the constitution bench. These included whether after commutation of the death sentence into life imprisonment either by the president, governor or the court, the government can go further to grant them remission of sentences and free them.

While framing this question, the court referred to the conflicting positions taken by the central and the Tamil Nadu governments on this issue.

Citing this point, Chief Justice Sathasivam said: "The issue of such a nature has been raised for the first time in this court, which has wide ramification in determining the scope of application of power of remission by the executive - both the centre and the state."