HC to hear petitions of Rajiv killers Tuesday

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court will hear Tuesday the review petitions of the three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking an interim injunction to stay their execution.Their mercy petitions were rejected by the President and September 9 has been fixed for their hanging. Santhan,Murugan and Perarivalan have sought to set aside the August 12 last order of the President,rejecting their mercy pleas and commute their death sentences to life on the ground of 'undue delay' in disposing of their mercy petitions.Advocate N Chandrasekaran made a mention in the court of Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar this morning, seeking an early hearing of the petitions, following which the Judge agreed to hear them tomorrow. In three separate petitions, the convicts also sought an interim injunction to stay their executions till disposal of their petitions.They contended that their mercy pleas were with the President for 11 long years since April 26, 2000 before being rejected. They claimed 'an unwarranted, illegal and unconstitutional delay is caused by the President and the Union of India in the disposal of the mercy petition.' "No explanation has been offered either for the delay in forwarding of the mercy petitions by the state government to the President or the delay in disposal by both the authorities," they contended. They said they had sent fresh mercy petitions to the President on August 27.