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

It directed the listing of the central government's plea before the constitution bench as early as possible - preferably within three months.

The apex court Feb 20 blocked the release of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and asked the Tamil Nadu government not to go ahead with its decision to release them.

The day after the court commuted the death sentence of the three conspirators - V. Sriharan alias Murugan, A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu and T. Suthendraraja alias Santhan - to life imprisonment on the grounds of inordinate delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy petitions by the president, the state government Feb 19 decided to grant them remission and release all the seven convicts undergoing jail term.

Besides Murugan, Perarivalan and Suthendraraja alias Santhan, the other four who were sought to be released included Jayakumar, Nalini, Robert Payas and Ravichandran.