India’s Supreme Court has suspended the release of three of the seven people convicted in the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The court said that there have been procedural lapses on the part of the state.
On Feb. 19, 2013, the state of Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister ordered all seven plotters be released, a move that surprised the country. The minister gave the government three days to respond.
While the three men – Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan – are on death row, the other four serving life sentences could still go free.
The next hearing is on Mar. 6, 2014.
The attack that shook the country
In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a female suicide bomber while at a campaign rally in Tamil Nadu. The bomb exploded as the woman bent down to touch Gandhi’s feet, a common gesture of respect in India.
The blast, organized by Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, killed 18 people in total.
Current Indian PM tweets news
Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, tweeted saying the attack on Gandhi was an attack on India’s soul.
The assassination of Shri Rajiv Gandhi was an attack on the soul of India. PM
— Dr Manmohan Singh (@PMOIndia) February 20, 2014
TN Govt’s proposed course of action to release the killers of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is not legally tenable and should not be proceeded with. PM
— Dr Manmohan Singh (@PMOIndia) February 20, 2014
