Demand Commutation for Mohammad Arif  

१६ दिसम्बर २०१२ को दिल्ली में हुए गैंग रेप और हत्या कांड के चार दोषियों को २० मार्च २०२० की सुबह ५-३० बजे होने वाली फाँसी की सज़ा पर पीयूडीआर चिंता व्यक्त करता है । ये विदित है की उनके द्वारा किया गया अपराध जघन्य था और उसकी जितनी निंदा की जाए उतनी कम है । लेकिन, इस बात को दोहराने की आवश्यकता है की बदले की भावना पर आधारित कोई भी सज़ा, किसी भी प्रकार से इंसाफ़ करने योग्य नहीं है । बल्कि इससे, राज्य और समाज को ज़रूरी सवालों को नज़रंदाज़ करने का मौक़ा मिल जाता है - जैसे ग़लत ढंग से की गई तफ़तीश और विचारण – जिसके कारण अधिक

PUDR expresses anguish at the impending hangings of Pawan, Mukesh, Akshay and Vinay who were convicted for the brutal gang rape and murder committed on 16 December 2012 in Delhi. Their crime was heinous, and PUDR condemns it in no uncertain terms.

People’s Union for Democratic Rights strongly opposes the impending death penalty for gang rape and murder that the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case, Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan and Vinay are awaiting. It is widely known and well established that death penalty is not a deterrent; instead it is an abhorrent and retributive form of punishment which is ethically questionable in a civilized society.

To,

Shri Ram Nath Kovind,

The President of India,

President's Secretariat

Rashtrapati Bhavan

New Delhi - 110 004

Subject: Appeal for intervention in ensuring the release of Bara convicts

Respected sir,

On November 20, 2018, a Delhi Sessions Court awarded death penalty to Yashpal Singh and life imprisonment to Naresh Kumar for their role in murder and arson in Mahipalpur on November 1, 1984 which caused the death of two persons and injuries to three others. A week later, the Delhi High Court upheld the conviction of 70 persons who had been awarded five-year prison sentences by a Sessions Court in 1996 for their role in rioting, looting and burning in Trilokpuri, between October 31 and November 3, 1984.

In August 2015 the Law Commission had recommended abolition of death penalty except in terror related cases. Recently 14 states have responded to these recommendations. Barring the exception of Karnataka and Tripura, other 12 states have rejected the recommendations. The states opposing the move include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. PUDR strongly deplores the responses of these states against abolition.

President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee rejected five more mercy petitions between 25th and 26th May, 2017. With his current rejections, he has achieved 42 rejections and seven acceptances of mercy petitions during his tenure. There has been marked increase in rejections of mercy petitions in recent years, especially, after Mr. Pranab Mukherjee assumed office in 2012, former Presidents have chosen to exercise “pocket veto” i.e., delaying the Presidential assent on the recommendation than rejecting petitions.

On 5th May, 2017 the Supreme Court upheld the High Court judgement giving death penalty to the four accused in the ‘Nirbhaya’ case ie the brutal gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh on December 16, 2012. The trial and conviction of the guilty in a time bound manner within  four and a half years, is a welcome step in the context of the frequent denials of justice to victims of sexual assault.

10 May 2017

To,

The Chairperson

NHRC,

Delhi 

Sir,