While pointing out that death penalty in the country was given only ibn ‘rarest of rare cases’, the Government on Friday said there are enough provisions in the law to appeal against death sntence given to a person.
Speaking in the rajya Sabha in response to a debate on a private members Bill callig for ablition of capital punishment, Minister of state for Home G Krishna Reddy said,”there are provisions in the legal justice system which gives the criminals enough opportunities to appeal against the death penalty . Also, the death penalty is only given in the ‘rare of rare cases’.”
In this context, he also pointed out that the mercy petitions to the President have only been a few and far in between.
On the Bill moved by Pradeep Tamta of the Congress, the Minister said that many of the States have vehemently argued for a quicker and more efficient justice system, which the Bill obstructs. ”It ‘violates the fundamental right to justice’ of the victim’s families,” he said.
The MoS Home Affairs said that a person gets many chances to appeal his death penalty. ”Fear of law should be there. And if a person is unable to bear legal costs, then he can approach the government or NGOs,”he said. He added that the government will also consider doing away with death penalty.
After the assurances by the Minister, Tamta withdrew Private Member bill ‘ Abolition of Capital Punishment Bill 2016’.
The Bill sought death penalty for crimes such as terrorism and waging war against country.
Earlier, opposing the Bill, Congress leader P L Punia said death penalty should be awarded for rarest of rare crimes. He also said that there has no study which suggests that capital punishment is a deterrent to any crime. Instead he advocated that the culprit should be given rehabilitation.
Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party, BJD’s Prasana Acharya and Amar Patnaik opposed capital punishment.
RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha said rich person is never hanged. Poor and marginalised always bear the brunt.
Death penalty given only in rarest of rare cases: MoS Home
