What sense does freeing Rajiv Gandhi's killers make to the common Indian?
In Rajiv Gandhi assasination case, 26 peoples were involved in the conspiracy. 18 out of 26 were released after serving separate sentence related to the crime. The five remaning person were given life imprisinment and the three remaining were given death sentence, this was commuted to life given inordinate delay in hearing the mercy petition. Soon after that Tamil Nadu government announced the freeing of Rajiv Gandhi's killers.
This talk of freeing Rajiv Gandhi's killers gives birth to the three different points of views. Firstly, the killers of former prime minister must be hanged till death. This was because Rajiv Gandhi was the former Prime Minister of India. He was an illustraious son of India. The killing of Rajiv Gandhi is the killing of a respected son of India. So a strict action is needed against those who had killed Rajiv Gandhi.
There is nothing new in giving the death penalty to the person who is the murderer of the nation face. Nathuram Godse also get death sentence for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. There is similarity in killing of Mahatma Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi, so why the killer of one was hanged and other to be set free.
Second, freeing Rajiv Gandhi's killers' means that Indian justice system is very flexible that can be twisted and turned.
There are many cases in India which is pending decision even after ten or twenty years of incidents. In some cases, decisions are made very quickly and there is no delay, just like the case of Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru. The guilty was hanged to death very speedily. However, in case of Rajiv Gandhi case, mercy was show to the killers and death sentnce was commuted to life. This clearly shows the two faces of Indian judicary. This really dents its image among the common Indians.
Lastly, killing the killer, Is the right judgment? Whatever the reason of killing, whoever are the killers. God did not give anybody the right to kill anyone. So killing Rajiv Gandhi's killers was not justified. At the same killing the killer is not justified. The father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi had said that "the eye for an eye can make the whole world blind." So the death penalty is inhumane and injust. God alone is the giver of life and should be the taker of life also.
All three points are right in their own place. The common man's thought are caught up within these thoughts. However, the onus is on the judicary to judge the merit of the case and treat the guilty rightly.
Considering the the delay in the disposition of the mercy petition as the main cause, the Supreme Court justified the commuation of the death sentence.
Suffering of the person who is guilty in such a case for a long time due to procedure wranglings is also considered as the main factor to commute the death sentence.
Moral values have also played a role in this case. Haritha, daughter of Nalini and Murugan also wrote to the Rajiv Gandhi's family to forgive his father and release him.
All this made the Supreme Court to become flexible and commute the death sentence into life.
However, the talk of freeing the Rajiv Gandhi's killer was totally political oriented and such thoughts should not be entertained. The Supreme Court was right in giving stay to such idea pf freeing the Rajiv Gandhi's killers.
Rohit Kushwaha
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