Because of "good behaviour"... the killers of the former Prime Minister of India are released

India's Supreme Court on Friday ordered the release of six people convicted of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Gandhi was assassinated at the age of 46 in a suicide attack during an election rally in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in 1991.

The attack was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan separatist armed group.

India's Supreme Court announced that the convicts had been released for their "good behaviour" in prison, where they had served a sentence of more than three decades.

Six people were convicted in this case, three of whom were sentenced to death before their sentences were commuted in 2014.

"I am very happy. I am very grateful to everyone," said Nalini Sriharan, who was granted parole with another person.

"The past 32 years have been a struggle," she told CNN News18.

She and her husband, who was also released, were sentenced to death.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ordered the release of another death row inmate, Ag Pirarivalan, citing his good behaviour.

Gandhi became India's youngest prime minister after the assassination of his mother, Indira Gandhi, by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

The family's Congress party has dominated Indian politics for decades, and Rajiv's widow, Sonia, remains the party's most powerful figure.

Their son, Rahul, is considered the main political rival of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rajiv Gandhi's assassination was seen as retaliation for his decision to send Indian troops to Sri Lanka in 1987 to disarm Tamil rebels.

India withdrew its forces after losing more than 1,000 men in fighting with the rebels.

The release of the convicts sparked controversy in India, and the Congress party condemned the court's decision as "totally unacceptable" and "completely wrong".

"It is very unfortunate that the Supreme Court did not act in the spirit of India on this matter," the party posted on its Twitter account.

India has a large Tamil population, and the Tamil Nadu state governments have repeatedly called for the release of convicts.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news