Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Perarivalan enrols as advocate
Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari attended the enrolment ceremony
One of the life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, A G Perarivalan, released on remission in 2022 has enrolled himself as an advocate at the Bar Association of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Perarivalan (54) donned the black robes on April 27. He would practice as a lawyer in the Madras High Court focusing on legal aid for prisoners.
He was arrested in 1991 when he was 19 years old, allegedly for supplying a 9-volt battery for an explosive device.
He was formally inducted in the bar association on Monday. Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari attended the enrolment ceremony.
Chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry P S Amalraj, and vice chairman S Prabakaran participated.
Advocate C K Chandrasekkar moved the enrolment motion while chairman of enrolment committee K Balu administered the oath.
The Supreme Court had ordered the release of Perarivalan on May 18, 2022, invoking the power under Article 142, after he spent 31 years in prison in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
He studied law at Dr B R Ambedkar Law College, Bengaluru, completing his degree and passed the All-India Bar Examination in 2025.
Perarivalan said his long drawn legal battle had inspired him to study law in order to assist others “wrongly confined” and would focus on criminal justice and post-conviction reforms.
