INDIA: PRESIDENT REJECTS MERCY PLEA

Indian President Pratibha Patil rejected the clemency petitions of Murugan, his wife Nalini, Santhan, Arivu alias Perarivalan for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991. Their death sentences were handed down in 1999 and were confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2000. A spokesperson said the clemency petitions were turned down by the President last week.