TN: 3 death row convicts pardoned

The death penalty awarded to three convicts of the Central prison here has been reduced to life imprisonment as their mercy petitions have been accepted by the President, prison authorities said here on Wednesday.

On December 2, 1994, V Radhakrushnan, A Shiek Meeran and C Selvam murdered a witness in a case against them inside a district court in Nagercoil using hand bombs and other lethal weapons. Kottar police registered a case against the three persons and arrested them.

On October 5, 1998, the District Sessions Court, Nagercoil, awarded them the death sentence. Though the accused approached the High Court, the court confirmed the punishment awarded to them, on April 30, 1999.

They then approached the Supreme Court against the verdict. However, the apex court also confirmed their death punishment on June 23, 1999.

Meanwhile, the convicts were shifted to the Tiruchy Central Prison in 2008.

However. they kept on trying to get a pardon. On November 3, 2009, they sent a mercy petition to the President of India. A few years later, on Wednesday (June 27), the Home Department sent an intimation to the prison authorities.

“It stated that their mercy petition was accepted and that the death punishment has been reduced to life imprisonment,” the prison superintendent, G Sundar Raj said.

However, they would have to spend all their lives inside the prison and no remission or concession would be given to them, the prison official  added, quoting the intimation.