NEW DELHI, MARCH 20: The Supreme Court today stayed the execution of a death warrant against the country's first woman convict sentenced to be hanged on April 6 for the murder of four members of a neighbour's family in 1989.The court also stayed the execution of death sentence on the aged father and brother of the woman, Ram Shree, who were also convicted in the murder case by the trial court in March last year. The Allahabad High Court had upheld the death sentences by its judgement of February 17, 1998.The interim stay was granted by a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi, Justice K Venkataswamy and Justice B N Kirpal, on three special leave petitions filed by the convicted prisoners from jail.Admitting the appeals on the basis of a true copy of the High Court judgement, the court directed that the stay would operate till further orders. The judges also directed the tagging of a separate writ petition by the National Commission for Women with the special leave petitionsbesides ordering the records of the case to be completed within three months.In a brief order, the judges said that since the case had gained enough publicity and various organisations had come forward to support the cause of the convicts it was desirable that the matter be heard expeditiously.Earlier, making submissions on behalf of the convicts, senior counsel, R K Jain told the court that the apex court should rule on the ``salutary principle'' of abolition of death sentences on women convicts. Jain said that till date there was no study on whether the death penalty did have a deterrent effect. In fact there was every reason to believe that it had been counter-productive, he added.Assailing the High Court verdict confirming the death sentence on the woman convict and her aged father Panchhi, Jain said the court had not given any special reasons for sentencing them to death. Jain urged the court to consider the abolition of death sentence not only against women convicts but also the old and infirmbesides the physically and mentally sick. The case of the prosecution against the convicts was that they had entered the house of their neighbour Bankey Lal and killed him and three other members of his family including a child as a result of previous enmity.
