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Indira Jaising's pardon appeal invites strong reaction from Nirbhaya's family

Last Updated 18 January 2020, 14:21 IST

Appeal by of senior lawyer Indira Jaising, a staunch anti-death penalty activist, that Nirbhaya's mother should follow Congress president's Sonia Gandhi's example by pardoning the four convicts in the gangrape-cum-murder of her daughter attracted strong comments from the victim's family.

Jaising tweeted on Friday, "while I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi (mother of the victim), I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn't not want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against the death penalty."

Strongly reacting to the remarks, Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi said the whole country wants the convicts to be executed. “Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion? Because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims,” she said.

She said she cannot believe that Jaising dared to suggest this. “These people earn a livelihood by supporting rapists. That is why rapes do not stop,” she added.

Nirbhaya's father said the lawyer should be "ashamed" of herself for suggesting pardon for the four death row convicts. "Our family is not as large-hearted" as the Congress leader, he said, demanding an apology from Jaising.

He said her remarks sent a "wrong" message. "She herself is a woman. She should be ashamed of making such comments. We have been fighting the case for seven years. We are common people and not politicians. We are not as large-hearted as Sonia Gandhi," he said adding his wife too held similar views.

Nalini was sentenced to death in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case but her death penalty was commuted to a life term after Sonia Gandhi urged for clemency as she had a young daughter who was born in jail.

Legally too, the views of victims' family do not hold, as there are no such provisions in the law. The case was tried as an offence against state and victims' families views cannot be considered by court.

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(Published 18 January 2020, 13:37 IST)

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