Court pleas, threats, protests to save Rajiv's killers

Three convicted men facing the charge for involvement in the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi on Monday moved to court to get a stay order on their impending execution, while pleas, demonstrations and even suicide threats erupted across Tamil Nadu in an attempt to get the trio a pardon.
Facing a death sentence, the three convicts - Murugan alias Sriharan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan and A G Perarivalan alias Arivu - moved to Madras High Court to stay their hanging scheduled for September 9, 2011.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko and advocate N.Chandrasekaran have filed the petition on behalf of the three condemned prisoners. The petition will be heard by Justice Paul Vasanthakumar on Tuesday.
DMK chief and former chief minister M.Karunanidhi on Monday repeated his demand for reprieving of the death sentence of the three.
Meanwhile, the fast by three female advocates Angayarkanni, Vadivambigai and Sujatha here in support of the commutation of the three convicted men's death sentence continued for the fourth day on Monday. City police arrested around 100 students of Dr.Ambedkar Government Law College when they tried to take a procession to Raj Bhavan demanding the governor's intervention to save the convicts. Students in Madurai and Coimbatore also held protests. Two students of the Government Law College in Madurai climbed to the roof top of a building and threatened to jump but were later persuaded by police to desist from doing that and climb down.
On Aug 11, President Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petitions of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan - all linked to the LTTE and sentenced to death for involvement in the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.