New Delhi (June 07, 2011): A major Human Rights body of India, Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, has urged the Union Government of the country to commute the death sentence awarded to Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar as well as Mahendra Nath Das.
“While individual circumstances of the case would bring out mitigating factors there is an issue of miscarriage of justice because their execution would violate the principle of jurisprudence which lays down that a person cannot be convicted be punished twice for the same crime” reads the statement issued on behalf of PUDR.
It is worth mentioning the PUDR, along with People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), was the first to independently investigate the November 1984 massacre of the Sikhs and published the report titled “Who are guilty?”.
The statement of PUDR adds that “Devinder Pal Singh has served 10 years and Mahendra Nath Das have served more than 15 years in jail. To carry out their execution now when they have already lived under the threat of execution for all these years surely behoves a re-consideration because execution of their death sentence would mean that they suffer twice over. PUDR believes that the whole issue of death sentence and denial of mercy petition further requires a judicial review”.
“We therefore, appeal to all those who believe that death sentence is an abomination which has outlived its utility, to petition the Government to commute their sentence” it adds.