Chief Minister cannot intervene after President rejects their mercy petitions - CM Jayalalitha
Posted on: 29/Aug/2011 1:59:42 AM
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said on Monday that she does not have the power to commute the death sentence of the three people who are to be hanged on September 9 for their roles in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
"As chief minister, I don`t have the powers to commute the death sentence after the president has rejected the mercy plea of the three people - Santhan, Murugan and G Perarivalan alias Arivu," said Jayalalithaa in a statement to the state assembly.
On Aug 11, President Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petitions of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan - all linked to LTTE and sentenced to death for involvement in the 1991 assassination. The three are to be hanged Sep 9.
A woman suicide bomber blew herself up killing Gandhi, who was prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989, at an election rally in Sriperumbudur near Chennai May 21, 1991.
