CHENGALPATTU (PTI): Preliminary hearings in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case got underway here on June 3 in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu with the designated court judge S.M. Siddickk amidst tight security.
Only the prosecutor and some defence lawyers were present during the hearing.
It is understood the judge asked each of the accused whether they would engage their own lawyers or would want the state to provide legal assistance.
While seven persons wanted time to take a decision 19 accused named their counsel.
Padma a nurse her son Bhagyanathan and daughter Nalini and the latter’s husband Murugan a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militant along with Irumborai a local Tamil Kanakasabapathy and Athirai both LTTE activists asked for time. The case has been posted for further hearing on June 17.
Prima Facie charges will be framed by the court during these hearings and the main trial is expected to begin in August at the high-security Poonamallee jail.
T.Kalaimani advocate will appear for the 13 accused. They are: “Chinna Santhan Sankar alias Koneswaran Vicky alias Vigneswaran Vijayanandan Sivaruban Robert Payas Jayakumar Vijayan Bhaskaran and Shanmuga Vadivel (All LTTE Militants) Santhi Jayakumars wife Selvalakshmi Vijayans wife and Ranganath the man who harbored the prime suspects in the case in Bangalore.
- Doraisamy will appear for Perarivalan and Dhanasekar both Dravida Kazhagam activists and Rangan a militant believed to be an associate of the dead suicide squad leader Sivarasan.
Subha Sundaram the local photo-journalist accused in the case will be represented by P.V.Bakthayatchalam a prominent lawyer and civil rights activist.
Ravichandran alias Ravi the youth who led the Tamil national retrieval troops an LTTE-trained Outfit and his associate Mahesh alias Sucheendran will be defended by T.Ramadas
Article extracted from this publication >> June 12, 1992
