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To Hang or Not to Hang?
By siliconindia
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Thursday, 29 September 2011, 03:12 IST |
21 Comments
However, after suffering imprisonment for the past 20 years, death seems to be just a span away for Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan as President Pratibha Patil rejected their mercy petition in Gandhi's killing. Rajiv Gandhi was killed during an election rally in Sriperumbudur near Chennai on May 21, 1991 which was orchestrated ordered by LTTE. In 1999, Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence of four accused in the case - Nalini, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. Later Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment at the intervention of Sonia Gandhi, Rajiv's widow. There has been a hue and cry over the decision to impose death penalty to the trio on September 9. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution for commuting the death sentence of the three accused. Presenting the case of the convicts, senior lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani argued mercy petition of the assassins was rejected by the President after 11 years and four months. He said the delay is prima facie wrong and a notice seeking explanation should be sent. Hearing the petition, the Madras high court stayed hanging of the three convicts facing the gallows to eight weeks.
However, the issue of capital punishment seems to be an endless debate with many having the knotted rope of death swinging above their heads. India has not carried out any legal execution since 2004, indirectly joining the club of abolitionist countries in practice by following an unofficial moratorium on executions. Death penalty is increasingly being abolished by many countries (139 globally) and many are in the process. Congress Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar strongly argues for abolition of death sentence and said the three sentenced in Gandhi killing should not be hanged. Many rights groups including People's Union for Civil Liberties and Amnesty International have been fighting to bring an end to the capital punishment. In a country like India where religious sentiments and regional political equations can write and rewrite the fate of governments, only time will tell the unseen consequences of implementing death penalty.
