Rajiv Gandhi murder: India court suspends plotters' release

Feb 14, 2014: India's Supreme Court has put on hold the release of three of the seven people convicted of involvement in the murder of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, where the plotters are held, ordered the release of all seven on Wednesday. But India's central government promptly mounted a legal challenge against that order. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was "not legally tenable".

The six men and a woman were members of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebel group. Earlier reports had incorrectly suggested the court was staying the release of all seven. The three prisoners whose release has been halted are the men whose death sentences were commuted earlier this week - known as Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. They have been in jail for more than 20 years and on death row since 1998.

The court cited apparent "procedural lapses" by the Tamil Nadu government in ordering their release. The next hearing is on 6 March. Reports say there is nothing to prevent the Tamil Nadu government from releasing the other four prisoners as planned.
(Source: BBC)