New Delhi: Eight months into the death of
LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, the proclaimed offender in Rajiv
Gandhi assassination case, the CBI is yet to receive his death
certificate from Sri Lankan authorities.
According to information accessed under the Right to
Information Act, CBI said it was still awaiting the
certificate of Prabhakaran's death from the authorities in
that country.
The agency, in reply to an RTI query, said investigation
in the case is "still in progress".
Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on
May 21, 1991 during an election rally.
In reply to the RTI query, B N Mishra, Superintendent of
Police at the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA)
(under the CBI to investigate the case) said, "the matter is
regularly being pursued through the diplomatic channel."
"Immediately after coming to know about the death of
Prabhakaran, the proclaimed offender in the case, CBI has
taken up the matter with authorities concerned in Sri Lanka
through diplomatic channels for supplying authenticated copy
of his death certificate, which is still awaited," the reply
read.
The CBI said "both the governments are regularly in touch
with each other for expediting enquiries into certain aspects
of the case pending with the Government of Sri Lanka."
Exercising his right to information, an applicant has
asked information about the final status of the assassination
case among other details.
In reply, the agency said, "The MDMA has been conducting
further investigation in RC 9 (S)/1991-SCB/MAS (Rajiv Gandhi
Assassination Case) after obtaining necessary permission from
the designated TADA Court, Chennai u/s 173 (B) CrPC. Further
investigation is still in progress."
On being asked about the status of culprits, it said
"TADA court, vide its judgement dated January 28, 1998 awarded
death penalty to all 26 accused. On appeals made by the
convicts, the Supreme Court, vide its judgement dated May 11,
1999 confirmed death penalty of four, namely, Nalini, T
Suthentharajan alias Santha, V Sriharan alias Murugan alias
Thas alias Thas alias Indi Master and G Perarivalan alias
Arivu.
"On mercy petitions filed by Nalini, her death sentence
was commuted to life imprisonment by Governor of Tamil Nadu in
2004. The mercy petitions of remaining three death convicts
are still under consideration with the President of India," it
said.
The CBI said, out of the four life convicts, 3 -- Nalini,
B Robert Payas and S Jayakumar -- and three death convicts T
Suthentharaja, V Sriharan and G Perarivalan are lodged in
Vellore Jail.
"The remaining one convict, namely, P Ravi Chandra alias
Ravi alias Pragasam is lodged in Madurai Jail," it said in
reply to the RTI application.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 31, 2010, 12:07