By Waquar Hasan,New Delhi, 18 Aug 2015: In the wake of hanging of Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon, the demand for abolition of death penalty has grown in the country. Legal experts, rights activists and lawyers are citing flaws in system to support their demand for abolition of capital punishment. Memon was hanged on 30th July in Nagpur jail following rejection of his mercy petitions. Around 250 people were killed in the deadly serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993.
Pointing at flaws in legal process, Prof. Anup Surendranath, faculty of National Law University, Delhi says that despite a lot of faults such as corruption, police inaction and wrongdoings in the political turf in our system, insistence on the harshest punishment for heinous crimes is not justifiable. Surendranath, who hit national headlines for resigning from the post of Deputy Registrar of Supreme Court hours after Memon’s hanging, was speaking at a symposium on “Death Sentences and the Idea of Justice”, organized by Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association at Jamia Millia Islamia on 17th Aug.
Citing data of death punishment, Prof. Surendranath further said only 4.5 percent of death sentences given by lower courts are upheld by the SC, while accused in 22 percent cases are acquitted.
Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan and some others also supported abolition of death sentence highlighting system flaws and legal loopholes.
Adv. Rebecca Memon John and Prof. Apoorvanand also spoke on the occasion.
