Various political outfits in Tamil Nadu have begun to mount pressure on AIADMK chief and chief minister Miss J Jayalalitha to take steps to reduce the punishment for the three charged for assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, whose mercy pleas have been rejected recently by the President.

The first mention of the issue came up in the state Assembly today with members of the PMK trying to raise it in the House. It was disallowed by the Speaker on the grounds that this was not the time for raising the issue. The PMK members walked out in protest.

However, PMK leader, Dr. S. Ramadoss, at a press meet in the city raised the demand that the three, Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan, whose mercy pleas have been rejected, be commuted to life sentence through the state government’s intervention.

The demand has already been raised by various Tamil nationalistic groups who are also pro-LTTE apart from the mainstream political parties, the VCK and the MDMK.

At a meeting in Chennai last night organised by the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) and Naam Tamilar outfit, an appeal was made to the chief minister to move a resolution in the state Assembly abolishing capital punishment and to make a recommendation to the Tamil Nadu Governor to commute the death sentences of the three, two of them Sri Lankan Tamils and one from Tamil Nadu, into life sentences using the powers granted under Article 161 of the Constitution.

“There are precedents as in the case of Tamil poet Kaliaperumal in Tamil Nadu who was pardoned in 1974 after being awarded the death penalty and the case of C. A. Balan in Kerala who was pardoned similarly after the state Assembly was moved to bring down his punishment,” said PDK leader, Mr. Kolathur Mani. The mother of Perarivalan, Mrs. Arpudham Ammal, was also present at the meeting.

Speakers at the meeting that included Naam Tamilar leader, Mr. Seeman, held that they are using this opportunity to seek abolition of capital punishment and held that the law had been bent by the enforcing authorities to punish the three, in particular, Perarivalan, just 19 years then, who is guilty of nothing more than the purchase of three 9-volt batteries, “supposedly used in the belt bomb.”

“Whereas the Court has pronounced that TADA charges cannot be raised in the case, the confessions made under TADA detention has been used to hold the three guilty. The Rajiv Gandhi case has been held as one of murder, with vengeance being the motive, and not terrorism. The rejection of the mercy plea has been done with some urgency on the part of the Sonia government. Whereas those who executed Rajiv Gandhi are all dead, those who assisted them are now being lined up for their second punishment after they have spent 20 years in jail for the same crime,” said Mr. Mani.

“Do you think the LTTE cadres could not have purchased the batteries themselves. The makers of the belt bomb remain mysterious till date as per investigating officer Mr. Ragothaman’s confessions. So how is my son Perarivalan guilty?” a weeping Mrs. Arpudham Ammal asked. “Am I guilty of bringing up a well-behaved son and sending him out to serve society as per Periyar’s ideals? Is he guilty just because he liked the LTTE?” she asked. Mr. Paul Newman, professor of Political Science, Bangalore University, said, “In my court, all three are innocent.”

Various pressure groups have come up in the state now seeking abolition of capital punishment. Rallies, demonstrations have been lined up by the groups for the rest of the week. Naam Tamilar and PDK are seeking an appointment with Miss. Jayalalitha to press the case. DMK chief Mr. M. Karunanidhi to a question on death penalty being awarded for the three held yesterday that he too was of the view that capital punishment should not be given to anyone, not just the three. (Source: thestatesman)