HC notice to Bar council against Perarivalan’s enrolment as lawyer

Chennai: Congress MP R Sudha has moved the Madras seeking to declare the enrolment of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict A G Perarivalan as an advocate. She also wanted the court to declare Section 24A of the Advocates Act as unconstitutional so far as it permits enrolment of persons convicted and sentenced to the death penalty and life imprisonment.Admitting the plea on Wednesday, a vacation bench of Justice L Victoria Gowri and Justice N Senthilkumar directed the Bar Council of India and the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to respond to the plea and adjourned the hearing to June 9.According to the petitioner, Perarivalan was convicted in the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. "In May 2022, he was released merely on the ground of an inordinate and unexplained delay in deciding his mercy petitions," she said.Once he was found guilty by the Supreme Court, which also rejected the connected review pleas, a finality of guilt was attained. Apart from this, the law degree obtained by Perarivalan is illegal, as he was ineligible to be admitted to the LLB degree at all as he had not completed the 10+2+3 mode of education mandated by law, she said.Also, the office-bearers of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, who approved the enrolment, have no official capacity to carry out the functions of the enrolment committee once their tenure expired and more particularly after the election notification was issued by the high-power committee on Jan 30, she added.