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Rajiv assassination case: SC seeks response from Centre, CBI on plea for probe

A Bench Of Justice Ranjan Gogoi And Justice L Nageshwara Rao Issued Notice To The CBI Seeking Reply On The Plea Which Alleged That It Did Not Probe The Conspiracy Behind The Killing Of Rajiv Gandhi In 1991 Despite An Order From A TADA Court In Chennai

PTI | Updated on: 14 Dec 2016, 11:04:05 PM
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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court sought on Wednesday the response of the Centre and CBI on a plea seeking probe into the alleged "larger conspiracy" behind assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

A bench of justice Ranjan Gogoi and justice L Nageshwara Rao issued notice to the premier investigating agency seeking reply on the plea which alleged that CBI did not probe the conspiracy behind the killing of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 despite an order from a TADA court in Chennai.

The order came on a plea filed by AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the assassination case, who contended that that neither the CBI (Special Investigation Team) nor its Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), had proceeded with the probe in a proper perspective to bring the accused to book as several top people were involved in the case.

The apex court had on Febraury 18, 2014 commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment along with two other condemned prisoners Santhan and Murugan on the ground of 11 years delay in deciding their mercy plea by the Centre.

Perarivalan had earlier sought the case dairies pertaining to CBI and MDMA, which probed the matter.

When the matter came up for hearing, the bench wanted to know as to "what for the further investigation is required?"

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Perarivalan, said that further probe is required as CBI had only probed the incident in which Gandhi got killed and it did not go beyond the "boom theory". "What was followed by CBI was a 'boom theory'. That is there is a death, followed by an investigation into the boom and trial focusing on the boom. But they have not gone into whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the bomb blast... It is this question which requires investigation," Dhavan said.

To this, the bench said, "So the boom is over, the trial is over and you say there is still something more to it?" Dhavan replied, "Yes. The TADA court said there is more to it. It asked CBI to investigate who the real conspirators were."

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First Published : 14 Dec 2016, 11:00:00 PM

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