Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: Centre files report on bomb making in SC

NEW DELHI: The Centre today filed a report in the Supreme Court on the investigation being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of the bomb that had killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi 26 years ago.

The report was filed in a sealed cover before a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha, which fixed the matter for hearing on September 19.Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Singh told the bench that they have filed a note as per the apex court's direction and it cannot be given to the petitioner."We have gone through the note," the bench said.Advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan, appearing for convict AG Perarivalan, contended that he had not said that the report should be given to him, but if the court permits, he would peruse the Centre's report in the court itself.The bench said it would hear the matter next Tuesday.

The apex court had on August 17 asked the Centre and the CBI to apprise it of the probe being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of bomb after Perarivalan had claimed that this aspect was not being probed properly.Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.This was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile global leader.Perarivalan's counsel had earlier told the court that several aspects, including the conspiracy angle behind making of the bomb, has not been probed properly.

He had said besides this aspect, which was directed to be probed by the Justice Jain Commission, there were other issues like missing files concerning security provided to Rajiv Gandhi and the murder of a Delhi-based journalist, Rajinder Kumar Jain, which were not investigated thoroughly.The counsel had told the court that Perarivalan was held guilty of supplying the batteries for the belt-bomb worn by Dhanu that had killed Rajiv Gandhi.The apex court had earlier commuted to life term the death sentence awarded to Perarivalan in the case.