Expressing happiness with a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment, AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator, Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday termed the Supreme Court’s decision to release A.G. Perarivalan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, a “victory wholly” for their party.
In a statement, the two leaders recalled the steps taken by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for securing the release of Perarivalan and six other convicts in the case. “The efforts made by her and the legal nuances put forth by her were countless,” they said, referring to Jayalalithaa’s declaration in the Assembly in February 2014 that if the Centre did not take a decision immediately, her government would go ahead with the decision of the State Cabinet to release all the seven convicts in the case.
Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami also recalled that the previous AIADMK regime, in 2018, decided “boldly” to release the seven convicts, and “it is this decision that has formed the basis for the Supreme Court’s judgment”. They reiterated their demand for the immediate release of six others.
In a couple of tweets, the sidelined former interim general secretary of the AIADMK, V.K. Sasikala, said the release of Perarivalan marked the fruition of measures taken by Jayalalithaa.
AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran said it was commendable that the judgment had reinforced the need for Constitutional functionaries, including Governors, to respect the decisions of duly-elected governments. The development was a victory for the long legal battle waged by Arputham, the mother of Perarivalan, he said.
