The Tamil Nadu Government today filed a petition before Madras High Court seeking to commute the death sentence of three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, even as the Court adjourned further hearing in the case to January 31, 2012.
When the review petitions, filed by the Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, challenging the rejection of their mercy pleas by the President came up for hearing, Advocate General Navaneethakrishnan filed an additional affidavit seeking to commute their death sentence.
When the case came up before a Division Bench comprising Justices C Nagappan and Justice P Sathyanarayana, the Advocate General also enclosed a copy of the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution appealing to the President to commute their death sentences.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was unanimously adopted in the House on August 30.
Later, the Court adjourned the matter citing pendency of a case before the Supreme Court.
The defence counsels told the Court that a petition seeking to shift the review pleas filed by the convicts, to any court outside Tamil Nadu was pending before the apex court.
Since it was expected to come up for hearing on January 11, they sought adjournment.
Accepting this, the Bench adjourned the case to January 31 next year for further hearing.
