Prisoner in death row in Rajiv Gandhi case tops plus-two exam score in TN jails

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Death row convict Perarivalan, sentenced in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has topped among the 45 prisoners from various jails in the state who took the plus-two examinations this year.

All have passed and Perarivalan, Arivu, to friends in his high-security Vellore prison and the distressed family waiting outside for his clemency plea to fructify, secured 1096/1200 - a score of 91.3 per cent.

Another condemned prisoner in the Rajiv case, Sriharan Murugan, now 43, has passed scoring 983 marks and that includes 200/200 in commerce.

Interestingly, both men have already completed their Masters in computer applications (MCA) and are waiting for results.

Their MCA degrees from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) did not require a plus-two pass but since they want to pursue higher studies now, they needed to finish formal 12th class pass.

“Arivu told me he would like to do Ph.D in prison administration, which he has studied closely over the last 21 years he has been in jail. He was arrested in the Rajiv case when he was barely 19 and just out of a polytechnic. My son is innocent. He wants to serve the poor when released. I am hoping it will happen soon”, said Thiruvengadam Arputham, the 65-year-old mother who been knocking many doors in Chennai and Delhi to get Arivu’s clemency cleared.

While two of his mates on the Rajiv case death row have thus pursued degrees through the IGNOU, Santhan chose to stay engaged in literary work, penning poetry and editing a prisoners’ magazine.

Murugan’s wife Nalini, whose death sentence was commuted to life following her appeal to Sonia Gandhi, had an economics degree when she was arrested mid-1991 and acquired a MCA degree plus eight diplomas—in a variety of subjects that include tailoring and yoga - from her cell in the women’s prison at Vellore.

While Arivu and Murugan wrote their plus-two exams at their Vellore jail, the rest of 43 prisoners were taken to the big Puzhal prison, the lone examination centre for prisoners in the entire state.

“Eight inmates from here have written plus-two and all have passed, including topper Arivu. I congratulated them by distributing sweets. We sent six prisoners to Puzhal and set up a special center for just Arivu and Murugan here because it would need a government order to move death row convicts out and that’s time-consuming”, said Mr R. Arivudainambi, Vellore jail superintendent.