Death penalty not 'foolproof' solution: Lawyer
~By T S Sekaran |
~By T S Sekaran |
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| Sudha Ramalingam |
CHENNAI, 14th September: Death penalty is not a solution to prevent the crime against women, noted lawyer Sudha Ramalingam said on Friday.
When Express contacted her over phone to ascertain her views on the death sentence passed by a Fast Track Court to the four accused in the Delhi rape and death case, Ramalingam vehemently argued that the capital punishment can never be a solution to such crimes, as it is not a “foolproof” one.
“In a civilised country like India, this kind of barbarous punishment of taking the lives of human beings, should be abolished. It will neither serve as a deterrent to others or bring down the crime rate. It denies an opportunity to the accused to reform themselves,” she said.
Statistics will reveal that in a country where death sentence is in vogue, the crime rate is higher. On the other hand in a country where such a practice was abolished, the crime rate is comparatively low, she said.
Meanwhile, Woman Lawyers Association president D Prasanna wholeheartedly welcomed the judgment. “We have insisted that the accused must be sentenced to death and staged several agitations... Persons committing such a heinous crime like animals, should be dealt with such an extreme punishment. Finally, justice is done,” she said.
According to senior advocate A Natarajan, the highest punishment of death sentence is the apt one to the rape-cum-murder accused, who can never be pardoned. “It is the rarest of rare case, which deserves death sentence,” he said and added that punishments like this only help maintain public order and uphold the faith of the people in the judiciary.”
K Santhakumari, president of the Tamil Nadu Federation of Woman Lawyers said that the punishment had reinforced the faith of the woman-folk in the judiciary.
When Express contacted her over phone to ascertain her views on the death sentence passed by a Fast Track Court to the four accused in the Delhi rape and death case, Ramalingam vehemently argued that the capital punishment can never be a solution to such crimes, as it is not a “foolproof” one.
“In a civilised country like India, this kind of barbarous punishment of taking the lives of human beings, should be abolished. It will neither serve as a deterrent to others or bring down the crime rate. It denies an opportunity to the accused to reform themselves,” she said.
Statistics will reveal that in a country where death sentence is in vogue, the crime rate is higher. On the other hand in a country where such a practice was abolished, the crime rate is comparatively low, she said.
Meanwhile, Woman Lawyers Association president D Prasanna wholeheartedly welcomed the judgment. “We have insisted that the accused must be sentenced to death and staged several agitations... Persons committing such a heinous crime like animals, should be dealt with such an extreme punishment. Finally, justice is done,” she said.
According to senior advocate A Natarajan, the highest punishment of death sentence is the apt one to the rape-cum-murder accused, who can never be pardoned. “It is the rarest of rare case, which deserves death sentence,” he said and added that punishments like this only help maintain public order and uphold the faith of the people in the judiciary.”
K Santhakumari, president of the Tamil Nadu Federation of Woman Lawyers said that the punishment had reinforced the faith of the woman-folk in the judiciary.
Courtesy: The New Indian Express
