Chennai:The body of Santhan (55), a released convict in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was on Friday flown from Chennai to Colombo, where his last rites would be performed, his counsel said.
Santhan died at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai due to cardiac arrest on Wednesday. He was one of the seven accused in the case and was awarded death sentence by the trial court. Later, the Supreme Court had commuted the death sentence to life-imprisonment.
After spending 32 years in jail he was released and lodged in a special camp in Tiruchi central jail along with some other convicts, who did not possess passports or travel documents.
He was suffering from liver ailment and was admitted to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi after his health condition deteriorated. Later, he was referred to RGGGH where doctors diagnosed him with cryptogenic cirrhosis and he died on Wednesday.
His body was carried in a coffin on a flight to Sri Lanka amid tight police protection. Earlier, his mortal remains were handed over at the hospital after completing the formalities
On Thursday, a division bench of the Madras High Court had directed the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to take necessary steps for expediting the clearance for sending Santhan's mortal remains to Sri Lanka.
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