Chennai: A lawyer has moved Madras high court for a direction to the Bar Council of India (BCI) to restrain former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict A G Perarivalan from practising as an advocate. He claimed that Perarivalan has not been acquitted in the case by the Supreme Court and, therefore, there is a bar under the Advocates Act, 1961 against enrolment of convicted persons as lawyers.Admitting the plea on Wednesday, a vacation bench of Justice S Sounder and Justice P B Balaji directed the BCI to respond to the plea and adjourned the hearing until after the summer holidays.Perarivalan, who was convicted in the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and had served more than 30 years in prison as a life convict. He was released by the Supreme Court, citing an inordinate delay in deciding his mercy petition by the governor.On April 24, he enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Aggrieved, advocate Ravi Raja of Nungambakkam has moved the court seeking to restrain him from practising as an advocate.He contended that the Advocates Act prohibits persons convicted of offences such as murder and robbery from being enrolled as advocates. tnn
