Divisive unto death

The editorial in the latest issue of the Organiser, titled “Under UPA, vote-bank dictates the course of law”, says: “One of the favourite phrases of Indian politicians is that ‘the law will take its own course’. If it was true, the Supreme Court would not be reminding the government about carrying out the death sentences given by the court. Last week, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to decide fast on the death sentences. Three years after the Supreme Court ordered death sentence for Afzal in the Parliament attack case, the UPA government is dithering over carrying it out. By various implied statements, the government has conveyed that hanging him would hurt the sentiments of a section of the society and hence it is sitting over the mercy petition. In fact, a minister in the previous UPA cabinet even went so far as to suggest that hanging Afzal would affect the chances of the release of Sarabjit Singh languishing in Pakistani jail on a false case of espionage”.

It adds: “The DMK government in Tamil Nadu last week commuted sentences and released nine prisoners, all convicted in the Coimbatore bomb blasts that killed 51 people. They are hardened terrorists, belonging to the banned organisation, Al-Umma. The convicts had three more years to go in their 13-year punishment. But the government took into account their ‘good conduct’ and released them on the grounds of ‘compassion’ to mark the occasion of the centenary of Anna Durai. This same government now has taken a different stand on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini. The government has said that it would first seek permission from the Centre before taking a decision on it. The two positions of the same government are not matching”.

... contd.