Santhan, the acquitted convict in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case, died at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai on Wednesday.
Santhan alias Suthenthiraraja, one of the seven released convicts, was earlier admitted to the hospital in January in a critical condition.
Santhan, 55, was reportedly referred from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Trichy after being diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis — a condition with no apparent underlying reason.
According to a Times of India report, he was admitted in the hepatology (liver) ICU in January. “This is a non-alcoholic liver disease. He came to the hospital with breathlessness, fluid in the abdomen and swelling in the limbs. His condition is critical,” hospital dean Dr E Theranirajan was quoted by TOI last month.
The report further stated that the term for Santhan, originally sentenced to death, was reduced to imprisonment for life later following an order by Supreme Court dated November 11, 2022. Santhan, along with five other convicts – Nalini Sriharan, Sriharan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran – were released from different jails, after spending more than 32 years of incarceration.
TOI also stated that Santhan had requested the court to help him obtain travel papers and be deported to Sri Lanka, where he wants to be with his aged mother.
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