The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of a plea of the kin of those killed along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, challenging the Tamil Nadu government's 2014 decision to release seven convicts in the assassination case. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said: "Having considered the matter, we are of the view that no live issue remains for adjudication in view of the Constitution bench judgment of this court in Union of India versus V Sriharan alias Murugan and others. In view of the above, the write petition stands disposed of."
Following this, while parties including the DMK demanded the Governor to order their speedy release, the Congress in Tamil Nadu said there should be no pressure on the Governor over the issue. In 2014, the then J Jayalalithaa-led government had decided to release seven convicts in the case. S Abbas, coordinator of the families of victims and the petitioner in the case in the apex court, said the judgment saddened him. "We are consulting on aspects like possibility of preferring an appeal. We will take appropriate steps," he added.
