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Celebrations broke out in Chennai and other towns of Tamil Nadu after the Madras High Court yesterday stayed the September 9 hanging of three men convicted for the involvement in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
A huge crowd gathered outside the high court in the morning to await the ruling of the two-judge bench hearing the petitions filed by the three men.
The crowd’s morale got a boost when the news reached them that the state assembly had passed a resolution urging President Pratibha Patil to commute the death sentences of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan to life imprisonment.
The news was celebrated with joyous cries and bursting of firecrackers.
The crowd burst out with joy when they heard that the court , after hearing lawyer Ram Jethmalani’s argument for around 40 minutes, ordered an interim stay on the hanging by eight weeks and issued notices to the central and the state government.
When MDMK general secretary Vaiko and Jethmalani came out of the court, the crowd shouted slogans in their praise.
Arputhammal, the mother of Perarivalan, told reporters that all the three convicts were innocent.
“The court’s decision and the resolution in the state assembly give me new hope. I had lost all hopes of seeing my son alive. I am thankful to the judiciary, the assembly and the people who came to support my son,” she said.
In other parts of the state where protests were being held against the death sentence, similar celebrations were held.
In Chennai, the mood at the venue where three female advocates were fasting turned upbeat on hearing the high court order.
Members of Tamil outfits expressed their joy at the court’s decision.
“The assembly resolution and the court decision give us renewed hope that innocent lives will not be snuffed out,” activist N Selvaraj said.
Pro-Tamil outfit members went out in a procession around the court demanding the release of the three prisoners.
However, the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress Party said the law of the land should be honoured.
State party chief K V Thangkabalu said: “Our stand is clear. We want the judicial verdict to be implemented. The law of the land should be respected and honoured.”
Referring to the state assembly’s resolution he said: “The legislature is another legal arm of democracy and it has its own set of rules and procedures.”
Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, he said, made a political point in the assembly on Monday stating that the previous government headed by M Karunanidhi had earlier rejected the mercy petition filed by the three.