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| Rajiv Gandhi's assassins |
| Rajiv Gandhi's assassins don't deserve mercy, says government in court
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| INDIA
, 4-February-2014
2:34:57 AM |
| The death sentences of three men convicted of killing former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi should not be commuted to life in prison, the government argued in the Supreme Court today.
The court has reserved its verdict.
Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan, who are all from Tamil Nadu, have said that an exceptional delay in deciding their petition for clemency merits a reduction of their penalty.
But Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati said there was "not a word of remorse" in the convicts' petition for mercy.
"They were leading a disciplined life, entertaining and educating inmates, so there is no agony, torture or dehumanising effect due to delay," he said.
Just weeks ago, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict that places new restrictions on executing prisoners.
The top court commuted the death sentences of 15 convicts on January 21, announcing that "inordinate and inexplicable" delays in carrying out executions were grounds for reducing their original punishments.
The three men were convicted in 1998 for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991. Their mercy petition was sent to the President of India, the last stage in the process of appeals, in 2000 and was rejected 11 years later. Their hanging was stayed in 2011 on the orders of the Madras High Court.
The government today blamed the previous NDA government for the delay in a decision on their mercy plea, but added that the delay was "not unreasonable, unexplainable and unconscionable
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