On 6/5/2010 special sessions judge M. L. Tahaliyani sentenced Ajmal Kasab to death on five counts. People in general expected death penalty and were happy at the judgment. Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam was on all channels.
The death penalty has to be confirmed by the High Court. Thereafter it can be challenged in the Supreme Court. After that mercy petition can be filed. Pratibha Patil does not want to reject any mercy petition and with her as president there is no hope of Ajmal Kasab being put to death.
As of now mercy petitions are decided on a monthly basis, one case at a time. Home Ministry advised rejection of two mercy petitions. Pratibha Patil did not do that. It may take more than two years to dispose of the present pending cases.
K. R. Narayanan did not clear any file regarding mercy petitions when he was President. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam decided on two mercy petitions: one he rejected, another he commuted.
Congress blames BJP for pending mercy petitions during 1998-2004. Congress came to power in 2004. What did it do till 2009? Why one case per month? Why cann’t all petitions be rejected at once?
TV channels should be careful about the words they use. Referring to criminals who plan and carry out terrorist acts as generals and foot soldiers is wrong. Getting someone to talk against death penalty is out of place.
One person whose wife was murdered during 26/11 terrorist attack said he had moved on. His wife was killed in Taj Mahal Hotel. The terrorist who killed his wife was killed by commandos. I wonder whether the feeling would have been the same if the terrorist who killed his wife was alive.
India has witnessed many terror attacks. More people died in 11/7 railway blasts than in 26/11 attack. Not much is known about the accused and when the trial will take place.
There are reports of RSS men being involved in Ajmer and other blasts. Hope politics will not overshadow trials.
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Tag: mercy petition
Impeach Pratibha Patil
As per one report India’s President Pratibha Patil has refused to reject mercy petitions of murderers sentenced to death penalty. She follows Home Ministry’s advice only when it is to commute death penalty to life imprisonment.
K. R. Narayanan did not clear any file regarding mercy petitions when he was President. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam decided on two mercy petitions: one he rejected, another he commuted. Pratibha Patil inherited them and four about two years she did nothing and the number of pending petitions reached 28. Then the Home Ministry reached an understanding with the President that one file will be cleared per month.
It seems Home Minister P. Chidambaram met Pratibha Patil over her refusal to reject mercy petitions and it has been decided when Pratibha Patil does not reject a mercy petition the file will be recalled by the Home Ministry and sent again asking either commutation to life imprisonment or reiteration of death penalty.
Pratibha Patil became President because Prakash Karat vetoed the candidature of Shivraj Patil, Karan Singh and others and he did not know about Pratibha Patil. The Government of India should send all pending mercy petitions together to Pratibha Patil and ask her to reject them. If she refuses she should be impeached and removed from office.
In 1980 the Supreme Court delivered the judgment that death penalty shall be awarded in rarest of rare cases. After that murders went up and started to take place anywhere. Soon there was terrorism.
The then Governments should have been tough with K. R. Narayanan and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. They let things drift.
India must have a law that makes death penalty obligatory for murder, attempted murder, acid throwing, abduction, hijacking, kidnapping, high cases of corruption and character assassination. India, according to some, is worse than a banana republic. Policemen are attacked and murdered and the murderers get away. When some murderers are caught their comrades abduct someone and the prisoners are let off to secure the release of the abducted person.
Those who oppose death penalty do not consider the sufferings of victims. The opponents call themselves human rights activists but they are murder rights activists. They mislead people in various ways. Sometimes they lie that murders have come down in countries where death penalty is abolished.
When a criminal gets suitable punishment it deters others from committing such crimes. As Rupal Deol Bajaj said “Ruchika Girhotra would not have been molested if K. P. S. Gill had not been given Padma Shri.†Many of the murders and terrorist acts would not have taken place if there was death penalty for every murder.
The Parliament is in session now. The Government must act fast. Pratibha Patil must reject mercy petitions or she should go.
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