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Supreme Court directed the transfer of the mercy petitions filed before the Madras High Court to the apex court and listed the case for hearing on 10 July 2012.

SC decides to hear the mercy plea of Rajiv Gandhi's assassins

02-May-2012, 10:27

The Supreme Court yesterday, 1 May 2012 decided to hear the mercy plea of Former Prime Minister-Rajiv Gandhi's assassins and death row convicts-Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan.

The apex court had already rejected the mercy pleas of the three convicts but they had sought a stay on their execution on the ground that the President had taken 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas.

Following a petition seeking transfer of hearing of the pleas out of Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court directed the transfer of the petitions filed before the Madras High Court to the apex court and listed the case for hearing on 10 July 2012.

On a petition by the three death row convicts, the Madras high court had earlier stayed their hanging and had issued notices to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government. The three have challenged the President's order, which rejected their mercy petitions, on the grounds of delay