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The Rajiv assassination: What happened, when

A chronology of events from the day of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination up to the judgment of the case.

May 21, 1991

1900 hours: Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi arrives at the Madras airport from Visakhapatnam en route to Sriperumbudur.

2200 hours: Reaches Sriperumbudur and garlands Indira Gandhi's statue.

2220 hours: Assassinated before he could address an election rally. Seventeen others, including Dhanu the human bomb perish in the bomb blast.

May 22, 1991:

State police registers case and recovers the camera which films the assassination and other evidences from the scene. D R Karthikeyan, the senior Central Bureau of Investigation officer tipped to be in charge of the investigation, visits the scene of blast.

May 24, 1991:

The CBI forms the Special Investigation Team. Karthikeyan takes over as SIT chief. Judge S M Siddick appointed judge of the designated court to try the case.

May 25, 1991:

Sivarasan, stand by assassin Subha, Nalini and two others visit Tirupati, worship and return the next day.

May 26, 1991:

Sivarasan packs up Subha to Pollachi. She returns to the city later.

June 11, 1991:

Bhagyanathan and Padma held. The first arrest in the case.

June 14, 1991:

Nalini, the first accused, and her husband Murugan arrested.

June 28, 1991:

Sivarasan, Subha and others escape in an empty tanker from Madras to Bangalore. They reach Bangalore the next day.

August 18, 1991:

The SIT traps Sivarasan and others in their Konanakunte hide-out in suburban Bangalore. Sivarasan shoots himself and Subha and five others consume cyanide and die.

August 29, 1991:

Rangan, the last accused in the case, arrested.

May 20, 1992:

SIT files chargesheet before the designated court.

May 5, 1993:

Pre-trial begins in the high security prison at suburban Poonamallee.

November 2, 1993:

Pre-trial proceedings end.

November 24, 1993:

Charges framed against the accused.

January 19, 1994:

In-camera trial and examination of witnesses begin.

May 29, 1994:

LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran, intelligence chief Pottu Amman and women's wing leader Akila declared as proclaimed offenders.

June 3, 1994:

The Indian government sends requisitions to Sri Lankan government seeking extradition of Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman and Akila.

December 30, 1996:

V Navaneetham takes over as judge after Judge Siddickk is appointed a judge of the Madras high court.

June 21, 1997:

Questioning of the accused based on the deposition of the witnesses begins.

July 21, 1997:

Prosecution begins summing up of the case and ends it on August 11, 1997.

August 14, 1997:

Presentation of defence case begins and ends on November 5, 1997.

November 5, 1997:

The marathon trial ends. Judge reserves orders for January 28.

January 28, 1997:

Judge finds all 26 accused guilty, says LTTE was responsible for Rajiv's death.

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