Katju now seeks pardon for Bhullar,writes to President

Katjus letter comes close on the heels of a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court rejecting the plea of Bhullar,a Khalistani terrorist and death row convict

Press Council of India chief Justice retd Markandey Katju has written to President Pranab Mukherjee for pardon for Devinderpal Singh Bhullar who has been awarded death sentence for his role in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast.

Katjus letter comes close on the heels of a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court rejecting the plea of Bhullar,a Khalistani terrorist and death row convict.

Katju said that Bhullar has been in detention since his arrival in India in January 1995 and that he had suffered prolonged mental agony and trauma for this long period in death row. Assigning reasons behind his plea,Katju said the Supreme Court had earlier rejected Bhullars appeal against his death sentence by a 2-1 majority,not by a unanimous decision and added that the senior-most judge on the Bench,Justice M B Shah,had acquitted Bhullar.

Katju said that he had perused the judgment of Justice Shah who had noticed that the only evidence against Bhullar is his alleged confessional statement to the investigating office.

Justice Shah has observed that when the rest of the accused named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried,this was not a fit case for convicting the appellant solely on the basis of the so-called confessional statement recorded by the police officer,Katju wrote.

Katju added that Justice Shah noticed in his judgment that there was nothing on record to corroborate the aforesaid alleged confessional statement.

Katjus letter said when the rest of the accused who are named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried,this would not be a fit case for convicting the appellant solely on the basis of so-called confessional statement recorded by the police officer.

Abolish death penalty,reiterates DMK chief

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Renewing his demand for the abolition of death penalty,DMK president M Karunanidhi Saturday made a pitch for a meeting of the Tamil Nadu cabinet to adopt a resolution recommending that death sentence awarded to three men for Rajiv Gandhis assassination be commuted. On the Supreme Courts observation that death penalty of terrorists or those involved in mass killings cant be commuted,he said,It has come as a very big shock to many expecting the verdict as well as our thinking.