After Tamil Nadu State Government’s decision to free all the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Centre has moved the Supreme Court for staying release of the convicts.

“The Government is moving a review petition in the Supreme Court on fundamental issues of law arising from the assassination of the late Rajiv Gandhi,” the Prime Minister Office said in a statement on Thursday.

The Government also said that it has also informed the Tamil Nadu Government that their proposed course of action to release the killers of Rajiv Gandhi is not legally tenable and should not be proceeded with.

“The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was an attack on the soul of India. The release of the killers of a former Prime Minister of India and our great leader, as well as several other innocent Indians, would be contrary to all principles of justice. No government or party should be soft in our fight against terrorism,” the statement said.

It may be noted that on Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu Government decided to release all the seven convicts serving life term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, a day after the Supreme Court commuted death penalty of three convicts. An emergent meeting of the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa took a decision to set at liberty all the seven convicts including Nalini and Perarivalan.

Others who will be released include Santhan, Murugan, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran. Making an announcement in the state Assembly, Jayalalithaa said the state would send the Cabinet decision to the Centre seeking its nod as required under Section Cr.Pc Section 435 as the case was filed by CBI in the case.

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