CHENNAI, DECEMBER 2: Chief Minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi on Thursday said the State Government was consulting legal experts on the next course of action regarding the mercy petitions of the four condemned prisoners in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.Talking to mediapersons at the Secretariat, Karunanidhi said legal luminaries were studying in depth the judgment of the Madras High Court quashing the State Governor's order rejecting the mercy petitions of Nalini, Murugan, Perarivalan and Chinna Santhan on the ground that the Governor had not obtained the views of the State Cabinet.The President will take the final decision on the petition irrespective of the decision of the State Government. Karunanidhi said he had told the delegation led by Tamizhar Desiya Iyakkam president P Nedumaran seeking clemency for the prisoners that he would do his best. The CM made it clear that the President alone could take a final decision.He refused to comment on when the State Cabinet would decide on the mercy petitions. ``I cannot say anything now''.On the reported recommendation of 11 names (all belonging to forward caste) for appointment of judges in the Madras High court, he endorsed PMK leader S Ramadoss' demand for reservation in the judiciary.The DMK would welcome a national consensus on implementing reservation for BCs, MBCs, SCs and STs in judges' appointment, he said.The State Government was not consulted in the appointment of judges. Of late, the Chief Justice of the High Court and the Supreme Court were taking decisions on the matter. The recommendation for appointment of 11 judges was not sent by the present Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, but by his predecessor Justice A C Agarwal, he clarified.On whether the DMK would support the PMK's agitation, he said, ``We support the PMK's views but joining the stir is a different issue.''On Eelam, the Chief Minister said he would be happy if a separate Tamil Eelam was created through negotiations between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE. On PMK leader S Ramadoss' statement seeking Indian Government intervention to solve the ethnic issue, Karunanidhi said he was neither for nor against the demand.Referring to Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly S Balakrishnan's statement that TMC would decide its relationship with DMK in Pondicherry only after it forged ties with the Congress, he remarked: ``We have to redefine the word friendship in the dictionary.''He said the Government would taken stern action against those who used LPG as fuel in cars as it was not legally permitted.
