Chennai: In Rajiv Gandhi assassination case The Central government has turned down a proposal of the Tamil Nadu government to free seven convicts who were accused for murder. Wednesday, the reported says the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Tamil Nadu government that “since the matter is sub judice in (the) Supreme Court, it has no authority to release the prisoners.”

Also, It is not the first time that the state government had approached the Centre seeking its views on its decision to remit the sentences of the convicts. Earlier in 2014, government of Jayalalitha also written to the erstwhile UPA government. 

“The Government of Tamil Nadu has now received petitions from the convicts with requests to release them since they have spent more than 20 years in prison … the Government, after taking into consideration the petitions of the seven convicts, has decided to remit the sentences of life imprisonment as they have already served imprisonment for 24 years.” The state government had said in the letter to the centre.

V Sriharan alias Murugan, AG Perarivalan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini are the seven convicts of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.