A.G. Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the assassination case of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has officially enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Perarivalan, who spent more than 30 years in prison before being released by India’s Supreme Court in 2022, reportedly completed his law degree after his release and later cleared the All India Bar Examination before enrolling to practise at the Madras High Court.
He was arrested in 1991 at the age of 19 following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Investigators alleged that he had procured batteries used in the bomb that killed Gandhi during an election rally carried out by a suicide bomber. Perarivalan consistently maintained that he had no knowledge of the assassination plot and argued that his confession had been distorted during investigation proceedings.
In May 2022, the Supreme Court of India ordered his release by invoking Article 142 of the Indian Constitution, citing the extraordinary delay in deciding his mercy petition and the prolonged incarceration he had already undergone.
His enrolment as an advocate has triggered political and legal controversy in India. A petition has since been filed before the Madras High Court seeking to restrain him from practising law, arguing that the Advocates Act bars individuals convicted of offences such as murder from enrolling as advocates unless acquitted. The Bar Council of India has been directed to respond to the petition.
Meanwhile, Congress politicians have also objected to the move. Congress MP R. Sudha reportedly wrote to Indian President Droupadi Murmu requesting the cancellation of Perarivalan’s enrolment.
The killing of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 is generally considered to be a retaliatory act against Gandhi’s deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka in 1987 which committed grave atrocities against Tamil civilians.