Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Perarivalan enrolls as an advocate: How did he become lawyer after 31 yrs in prison?

AG Perarivalan, 54, one of the life convicts in the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Association of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry after being released on remission in 2022.

Perarivalan, wore the black robes on April 27 and plans to practise law at the Madras High Court, with a focus on providing legal aid to prisoners. He was arrested in 1991 at the age of 19 for allegedly supplying a 9-volt battery used in the explosive device linked to the assassination.

He was formally inducted into the bar association on Monday, with Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari taking part in the enrolment ceremony, according to PTI.

Chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry P S Amalraj and vice chairman S Prabakaran were present at the event. Advocate C K Chandrasekkar moved the enrolment motion, while enrolment committee chairman K Balu administered the oath.

The Supreme Court had ordered Perarivalan’s release on May 18, 2022, invoking Article 142, after he spent 31 years in prison in connection with the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He pursued his law degree at Dr B R Ambedkar Law College in Bengaluru and later cleared the All-India Bar Examination in 2025.

Perarivalan mentioned his prolonged legal struggle motivated him to study law to help others who are “wrongly confined,” and added that he intends to focus on criminal justice and post-conviction reforms.

During his time in prison, Perarivalan did not allow incarceration to hinder his academic goals and continued pursuing higher education. He earned a gold medal after topping a diploma course offered by Tamil Nadu Open University and also secured first rank among inmates in the Plus Two examination with a score of 1,096 out of 1,200 in 2012, according to India Today.

While lodged in Central Prison, he reportedly completed a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications and a Master’s in Computer Applications through Indira Gandhi National Open University, along with seven other diploma programmes, some of which he finished while on death row.

Perarivalan enrolled at Dr B R Ambedkar Law College in Bengaluru, completed his law degree, and subsequently cleared the All India Bar Examination in 2025 after he was released in 2022.

After becoming a part of the Bar Association of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as an advocate, Perarivalan, while speaking to The Indian Express, stated, “My ambition is not to become a famous criminal lawyer, but to become a voice for the thousands of prisoners behind bars who have no legal assistance. Especially for poor life convicts waiting endlessly for premature release, denied justice simply because they cannot afford help.”

According to his family, he was taken from his home for what was described as a brief interrogation, with officials assuring that he would be sent back the next day. Believing this, his parents themselves handed him over to the police. However, he was not released as promised. Instead, he was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and access to him was initially denied even to his mother, the report noted.

For 59 days, his location was unknown. The family, worried that going to court could further complicate matters, refrained from filing a habeas corpus petition. They remained hopeful that he would soon be released, believing that the justice system would not wrongfully punish an innocent person.

He was accused of purchasing and supplying a nine-volt battery that was allegedly used in the explosive device which killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The prosecution’s evidence largely rested on a shopkeeper’s statement claiming that Perarivalan had bought the battery from his shop. The case was tried under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA).

A TADA court convicted him and others in 1998 for conspiracy in the assassination and sentenced him to death, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court in 1999. In 2014, his death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment due to a prolonged delay of 11 years by the Government of India in deciding his mercy petition.

The Supreme Court directed his release on May 18, 2022, exercising its powers under Article 142, after he had spent 31 years in prison in the case, which after his family pursued years of court cases.