New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights welcomed the commutation of death sentence of Surinder Singh Koli, prime accused of the Nithari serial killings, into life imprisonment by the Allahabad High Court today on the grounds of delay of three years and three months as a step towards providing timely access to justice to death row convicts.
“The consideration of mercy pleas by the President of India on the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs has become a matter of national shame because of the delay and consistent violations of the guidelines on the mercy pleas adopted by the Ministry of Home Affairs itself, laws based on stare decisis, natural justice, equality and past precedents set by the former Presidents in cases of similar facts and circumstances while advising the President” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Coordinator of the National Campaign for Abolition of Death Penalty in India.
Asian Centre for Human Rights further called upon the Government of India for abolition of death penalty in India. [Ends].
