CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday refused to grant an interim suspension of AG Perarivalan's enrolment as an advocate while hearing a petition filed by Congress MP R Sudha challenging his enrolment.
The vacation bench comprising Justices L Victoria Gowri and N Senthil Kumar said the bench refused to pass any interim orders without hearing the other side.
Perarivalan, who was released by the Supreme Court in 2022, enrolled as an advocate on April 27 this year. Opposing it, Mayiladuthurai constituency Congress MP R Sudha filed a petition before the Madras High Court. In her plea, she sought to declare the enrolment of Perarivalan as illegal and void.
Perarivalan was convicted in the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was set at liberty by the Supreme Court due to the inordinate delay by the Governor in considering the recommendation of the state government for remission of his life sentence.
Perarivalan, having been convicted for acts of terrorism, has now been enrolled in the rolls as an advocate, the plea noted. With the Bar Council election vote counting under way since April 4, the undue urgency shown in enrolling Perarivalan is completely bewildering and suspicious, the plea stated.
She sought a direction to the CBI to conduct an investigation into the manner in which Perarivalan was enrolled as an advocate, and to pass an interim order suspending his enrolment as an advocate.
During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued for the interim suspension of the enrolment of Perarivalan as an advocate.
The bench directed the Bar Council of India and the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to respond to the plea and posted the matter to June 9.