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Playing safe, union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said his ministry is examining the Tamil Nadu government's decision but made it clear that abiding by Supreme Court's
order on the issue is its constitutional responsibility. Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's clever pre-poll manoeuvre of sending missive to the Centre about its decision to remit
the sentence of seven convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has put the Modi government in a bind on how to deal with a potentially emotive issue related to terror. Playing safe, union
home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said his ministry is examining the Tamil Nadu government's decision but made it clear that abiding by Supreme Court's order on the issue is
its constitutional responsibility. "We have received a letter from the Tamil Nadu government yesterday and we are examining it. But I want to state about the accused that the Supreme
Court has given a verdict and to abide by its order is our constitutional responsibility, not only constitutional but also moral responsibility," said Rajnath in reply to a question
during zero hour. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad made it cleat that the Congress would oppose the State government's decision. "The Supreme Court has
already rejected this plea of several organisations and there is no question of supporting such a move. As a party, we will definitely oppose this move," he said. Playing hardball,
chief secretary of Tamil Nadu, K Gnanadesikan in a letter to union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi made clear that the communication was being sent "without prejudice to our right to move
the Supreme Court to review its judgment dated December 2, 2015 wherein the Constitution Bench had taken the view that the word consultation used in section 435 of CrPC means
concurrence." Sources in the ministry said that as Tamil Nadu government cannot release seven convicts without Centre's concurrence, they would see whether the letter sent to the
ministry is legally admissible or not. "We have to see it in the light of various Supreme Court observations on mitigating as well as aggravating factors. It will also have to be viewed
in the context of what the Apex court has said about those convicts whose death sentence has been commuted to life. We may have to seek Attorney General's opinion on this," said
sources.