India set to be among world's top five executioner

[mirage2K]

NEW DELHI: The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) through an appeal on Monday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to abolish death penalty and spare Veerappan's associates - Gnanaprakash, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran from the impending execution.

These associates of Veerappan were sentenced to death in 2004 in connection with a landmine blast at Palar in Karnataka in 1993 in which 22 police personnel were killed and their mercy pleas were recently rejected by the President of India.

"If India continues with the current spree of execution of those whose mercy pleas are rejected or those who could not file mercy pleas, India will become one of the top five executioners of the world joining China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. India considered cases of at least 5,776 death row convicts between 2001 and 2011, of which 4,321 convicts' death sentences were commuted to life sentences and 1,455 convicts' death sentences were confirmed by the Courts," said Suhas Chakma, director, ACHR.

All political parties in Tamil Nadu have been opposing execution of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan who were convicted for the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Tamil Nadu State Assembly passed a resolution in August 2011 urging that these death-row convicts should not be hanged.

Similarly, political parties in Punjab have opposed the execution of Balwant Singh Rajoana convicted for murder of former chief minister Beant Singh.

"Since the Government of India cannot execute those convicted of the murder of Rajiv Gandhi and Beant Singh, it appears that Gnanaprakash, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran will be executed to address the negative fallout following the execution of Afzal Guru," said Chakma.

According to NCHR, death penalty as a deterrent against any crime has been found to be invalid and at present about 140 out of 193 members states of the United Nations have abolished death penalty in law and practice. Even in the countries were death penalty is practiced, the governments are either abolishing death penalty or reducing the number of offences for which death penalty can be imposed.

By 2011, Illinois became the 16th State of the United States to abolish death penalty while China removed the death penalty in as many as 13 crimes, while adding at least two new capital crimes, during the same year.

India set to be among world's top five executioners; PM urged to stop execution of Veerappan's associates - The Times of India

 

[Black Widow]

Where were these Human right groups when
1. Attack happen on Indian parliaments?
2. Pakistani beheaded Indian soldiers?
3. Maoists rape ?
3. Maoists kill unarmed ppl?


These Human right group are Veena Malik of world..

 

[KRAIT]

@Black Widow People are already asking HR people to shut up for HR of terrorists, rapists, murderers, rioters etc.

They now ask these people to ask for HR of victims of terrorist attacks, Soldiers of Army and CRPF, civilians killed, raped women etc.

Even Media is now bashing these HR activists.

 

[livingdead]

I hope this is just a small time frame where all execution seem to happen, its not a trend, and India will retain its low execution rate.

 

[Spring Onion]

I hope this is just a small time frame where all execution seem to happen, its not a trend, and India will retain its low execution rate.

LTTE at work not to make India the top executioner

 

[kurup]

LTTE at work not to make India the top executioner

There is no LTTE , no more . It is a dead organisation.

 

[rockstarIN]

There are people making Indian judicial system look very weak.

There is a notion in the society that death penalty will not happen in India, Life sentence means a 8 years in jail(with good conduct) or 14 years in jail max. It is a motive to people to commit crime. It should end and ppl should really understand the seriousness by carrying out such executions for heinous crimes.

 

[Spring Onion]

There is no LTTE , no more . It is a dead organisation.

NEW DELHI: Three Rajiv Gandhi assassins have opposed the execution of the death sentence awarded to them by pointing to the 12 year-lag between the Supreme Court's confirmation of the high court's order to send them to the gallows and the rejection of the mercy petition by President. Behind this argument, it turns out, is a well-organized campaign by LTTE cadres, sympathizers and human rights groups opposed to death penalty who could well have been the reason for the delay in the first place.

A confidential government document, accessed through RTI, described the unprecedented number of appeals from across the world as an "orchestrated campaign" by cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and sympathizers against the execution of the Supreme Court's 1999 order sentencing them to death.Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan later cited the delay when they submitted their mercy petitions to the President, seeking commutation of their death sentence to life. Their writ petitions are now with the Supreme Court.

A close scrutiny of documents accessed under RTI, in response to a plea filed by activist S C Agrawal, shows that the 1999 verdict led to international and domestic pressure on the government.

President bombarded with clemency pleas

The death sentence awarded to Nalini, another accused in the case, was commuted to life in April 2000 by the Tamil Nadu governor on the ground that she had a young child. Congress president Sonia Gandhi was among those who had sought clemency.

The announcement of death penalty led to the European Union issuing a demarche to the Indian government. Tamil and human rights groups lobbied France, South Africa, Germany, Denmark, UK MPs, the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore as well as Indian ministers for not carrying out the death sentence. Rashtrapati Bhavan was bombarded with clemency pleas.

It was against such a backdrop that President K R Narayanan did not take up the clemency pleas in 1999. It was only in August 3, 2011 that clemency pleas were turned down by then President Pratibha Patil. Immediately afterwards, the convicts moved court, successfully stalling the execution by citing the delay in the implementation of the apex court's 1999 order.

The high-decibel campaign reflects the effectiveness of the Tamil diaspora and their sympathy for the killers of the former prime minister. The number of petitions seeking clemency for the four accused was so high that in December 1999, the MEA in a note said, "The government has received numerous petitions calling for setting aside of the death penalty awarded to four persons accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Most of the petitions seem to be part of a campaign orchestrated by the LTTE cadres/supporters/sympathizers and human rights groups opposed to death penalty. EU Ambassadors in Delhi have also made demarche to the government. A communication on the subject has also been received from the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary execution. The purpose of this communication is to provide sufficient background material to rebut any negative media coverage and to respond to any queries on the subject.''

In February 2000, the EU Troika head of mission in Delhi issued a "confidential demarche'' and requested the President to commute the sentence of the four persons to life. Among the other petitioners who sought death penalty waiver were NGOs like Campaign against Death Penalty, Dravidians for Peace & Justice, South Africa chapter, South African Tamil Federation, The World Saivite Council, the South Indian Foundation and the Federation of Tamil Associations in France.


British member of Parliament from Brent North Barry Gardiner sought to draw a parallel with Guru Hargobind's incarceration by Mughal rulers in Gwalior fort in the 17th century. Gardiner said that the Guru's imprisonment came from his insistence on religious freedom for his people and even the emperor Jahangir eventually agreed to release him on Diwali. Others quoted Gladys Staines who forgave those who murdered her husband and children.

Among the political leaders who petitioned for the four were MDMK's Vaiko and SAD's Simranjit Singh Mann. Rev Dr Arul Das James, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, and Baba Amte also supported clemency while the then minister of state for petroleum and natural gas E Ponnuswamy forwarded a plea as well. From the judiciary, V Krishna Iyer and Justice Hosbet Suresh also submitted pleas to Narayanan.

But it was not as if the rejection of mercy petition was without support. Tamizhanga Rajiv Congress, All India Rajiv Gandhi Brigade and Subramanian Swamy from Janata Party were among the supporters of the hanging.



LTTE campaign delayed Rajiv Gandhi's killers’ hanging, source says - The Times of India

 

[notsuperstitious]

^^^ Yes and lots of islamic terrorists also opposed afzal guru's hanging on this forum.

 

[third eye]

How can a killer of fellow humans hope to die of old age ?

 

[KRAIT]

^^^ Yes and lots of islamic terrorists also opposed afzal guru's hanging on this forum.

LeT has asked the people of Kashmir to take revenge. Inciting violence and people call these terrorist organizations and terrorists Freedom Fighters. That S.O.B Malik met HS in Pakistan. May be they were discussing this.

 

[karan21]

According to me hang anyone who is convicted for serious crime. Some one who is convicted of bribery, Rape, moliestation, Drug dealing, murder should be hanged in public with fast track courts.

If you are convicted anti Indian acts like supporting terrorists and bomb blasts. First, they should be kept for 10 yrs in torture jails and then hanged.

If Indian courts can't give justice for rapes and corruption then day is not far when Indians like me will hold guns shooting politicians and rapists on streets.

 

[Skull and Bones]

Excellent, peoples who can't appreciate the value of life doesn't deserve to live in the first place. All terrorists, Naxal scums and social psychopaths deserves death penalty.

 

[Bang Galore]

I hope this is just a small time frame where all execution seem to happen, its not a trend, and India will retain its low execution rate.

I hope not, there are plenty in India who need executing and I hope India continues what it is currently doing.

There are people making Indian judicial system look very weak.

There is a notion in the society that death penalty will not happen in India, Life sentence means a 8 years in jail(with good conduct) or 14 years in jail max. It is a motive to people to commit crime. It should end and ppl should really understand the seriousness by carrying out such executions for heinous crimes.

Incorrect, it is minimum of 14 years and is more normally life till death. That has been clarified by the Supreme Court.

 

[rockstarIN]

I hope not, there are plenty in India who need executing and I hope India continues what it is currently doing.



Incorrect, it is minimum of 14 years and is more normally life till death. That has been clarified by the Supreme Court.

When? Recently only in a case by SC.And the same decree told it is not 14 years or 20 years but till end of life.

But there is an article where the state govt. have the power to commute the sentence by its wish, which is contradictory. There is no guidelines at all on national level. Shila Dixit once asked for a consensus in this case.

I knew cases where ppl left the jail after 8 years earlier days.