Following is the chronology related
to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in which the Supreme Court today settled questions arising out of Tamil Nadu government's decision to free the killers, ruling that the Centre has "primacy" over states' right to grant remission.
*May 21, 1991: Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassinated at an election rally by an LTTE suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur.
*May 20, 1992: Special Investigation Team (SIT) of CBI files charge sheet in the case before the TADA-designated Court at Poonamallee, TN.
*Jan 28, 1998: TADA Court awards death sentence to all 26 accused.
*May 11, 1999: SC sentences Nalini, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan to death; commutes death sentence of three others to life; frees 19 others.
*Oct 8: Dismissing their appeals, SC confirms death sentence awarded to Nalini, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan.
*Oct 17: The four death row convicts send clemency petitions to Tamil Nadu Governor.
*Oct 27: Governor rejects the clemency petitions.
*Nov 25: Madras High Court quashes Governor's rejection of clemency petitions; directs the Governor to pass a fresh order after obtaining the State Cabinet's views.
*Apr 19, 2000: State Cabinet chaired by then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi decides to recommend commuting the death sentence of Nalini alone.
*Apr 21: Governor accepts Cabinet decision to commute death sentence of Nalini.
*Apr 28: State government forwards clemency pleas of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan to the President.
*Aug 12, 2011: Union Home Ministry communicates to state government about President's decision to reject clemency petitions.
*Aug 26: Execution of 3 convicts fixed for Sep 9.
*Aug 30: Tamil Nadu Assembly adopts resolution urging the President to commute death sentence of 3 convicts.
*Aug 30, 2011: Madras High Court stays execution of
Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan on their plea. Petitions transferred to Supreme Court later.
*May 1, 2012: SC says it would hear pleas of 3 convicts.
*Feb 18, 2014: SC commutes the death sentence on grounds of delay in disposing their mercy pleas.
*Feb 19, 2014: State Cabinet decides to immediately release Santhan, Murugan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran; sends its decision to Centre under Section 435 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
*Apr 1, 2014: SC refuses to review its verdict commuting death sentence of 3 convicts in the case, dismisses Centre's review petition.
*Apr 25: SC refers matter on remission of sentence to Constitution bench and frames 7 questions to be decided by it.
*Jul 23: SC commences hearing to examine power of Centre and states to grant remission for releasing convicts whose death sentences are commuted to life term.
*Jul 29, 2015: SC dismisses Centre's curative plea against commutation of death penalty into life term of 3 convicts.
*Aug 12: SC reserves verdict on constitutional issues arising out of TN govt's decision to set free convicts in the case, including the power of states to remit sentences.
*Dec 2: SC says Centre will decide whether Rajiv killers will be released or not holding that states cannot exercise "suo motu" the power to grant remission without any specific plea from convicts.
