Forgive Nirbhaya rapists just like Sonia Gandhi pardoned her husband's killer, advocate Indira Jaising to Asha Devi

Giving the example of Sonia Gandhi, who pardoned her husband Rajiv Gandhi's killer Nalini, the senior advocate asked Nirbhaya's mother to forgive her daughter's rapists.

IANS photo

New Delhi: Senior advocate Indira Jaising has advised Nirbhaya's mother to forgive the six men who were convicted of raping her daughter. Jaising took to Twitter after Nirbhaya's mother gave an interview and expressed her disappointment over the delay in the convicts' execution. 

Requesting Asha Devi to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi, who forgave Nalini, Jaising asked Asha Devi to pardon the Nirbhaya rape-murder convicts. "While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi 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 death penalty," the senior advocate tweeted on Friday night. 

While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi 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 death penalty. https://t.co/VkWNIbiaJp

— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 17, 2020

Nalini was arrested and convicted for the assassination of former Prime Minister and Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. 

A day ago, on January 17, Asha Devi had expressed disappointment with the courts and government after the date of execution of her daughter`s rapists was postponed by a Delhi court. "I am disappointed with the courts, government and the whole system. I do not know if they will be hanged or the date of their execution will be further extended," she was quoted as saying by ANI. She added that the same people who participated in rallies in 2012 after the Delhi gangrape and held candle marches have now capitalised on the death of the 23-year-old gangrape victim for their political gains.

The death-row convicts who were earlier slated to be executed on January 22 at 7 am will now be hanged on February 1 at 6 am. The new date of execution was announced after two convicts Mukesh Singh and Vinay submitted curative petitions. On Friday, the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh was rejected by the President. 

Asha Devi ruled that the convicts got what they wished for. "I will not be satisfied until they are hanged," she said, adding that she for the last seven she has been waiting for the justice to be served.

Four convicts, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan and Mukesh were convicted and sentenced to death for raping the 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in the national capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012. While five were sentenced to death, the sixth convict was sent to correction home as he was a juvenile. Among the five, one convict Ram Singh committed suicide when he was lodged in Tihar jail.

The other four convicts - Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar and Pawan Gupta will be hanged in Tihar jail on February 1.