Madras - A judge who ordered 26 people to hang for the killing of the former Indian prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, has named the leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels as the chief conspirator in the case. Velupillai Prabhakaran, who leads the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from a jungle hideout, was directly indicted in the judgment handed down on Wednesday by Judge V. Navaneetham, excerpts from which were made available yesterday. The LTTE, which denies it was behind the murder, has described the judgment as flawed and the chief defence lawyer said he would appeal against the death sentences before India's Supreme Court.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma or Great Soul. He was shot dead at a prayer meeting in New Delhi just months after India gained its independence from Britain.
