Gangrape controversy: Will burn my daughter alive if she had premarital sex, says Defence lawyer

A controversy broke in when the defence lawyer AP Singh of the Delhi gang-rape case said he would have burnt his daughter alive if she was found involved in love affairs and premarital sex.

Zee Media Bureau/Sushmita Dutta New Delhi: In a shocking display of the decayed mentality of Indian society, AP Singh, the defence lawyer in the Delhi gang-rape case said he would have burnt his daughter alive if she was ever involved in love affairs or indulged in premarital sex. "...If my daughter was having premarital sex and moving around at night with her boyfriend, I would have burnt her alive. I would not have let this situation happen. All parents should adopt such an attitude," AP Singh said referring to the gang-rape case infront of mediapersons. This shocking statement came a day after the verdict in the December 16 gang-rape case was announced by a Delhi fast-track-court yesterday. The court had given death sentence to four accused who had gang-raped a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus in the capital city on the fateful night of December 16, 2012. AP Singh, lawyer of two of the convicts even said that he would have burnt her daughter even if she was caught moving around at night with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, the Delhi Bar Council has taken a serious view of lawyer AP Singh`s statement after it received many complaints from NGOs and other organisations condemning the statement made by him. Murari Tiwari, Secretary of the lawyers` body said he has been receiving verbal complaints from NGOs and various other organisations condemning Singh`s statement. "I have asked the complainants to give their complaints to us in writing. In case we don`t receive any complaint in writing, then the DBC would suo motu take up the issue at its September 20 meeting. Agenda of the meeting will be prepared soon and circulated among the 45 members," he said. Tiwari also said Singh`s statement comes under "professional misconduct" and the lawyers body can take action against him. DBC`s President Surya Prakash Khatri also condemned the statement and said "it doesn`t call for any advocate to make such a statement." The irresponsible remarks of AP Singh even put a question mark on the mindset of people that if educated once are so degraded then what can we say about those who are poor, uneducated, deprived of proper family guidance and bad parenting. Indian judicial system says that every accused should be given a chance to put forward their point before the announcement of the verdict so that no innocent get punishment. But in the Delhi gang-rape case it looks like the Defence lawyer has lost his mind including the case which is pricking him the most. With PTI inputs