Afzal - to hang or not?

Sunday, October 8, 2006 Afzal - to hang or not? If we see Afzal’s hanging in the light of a nation’s maintaining an army, police-force and all that, it would become apparent that it is imperative for a nation’s survival that the enemies of the nation be eliminated, for otherwise why should such forces be maintained with standing power to eliminate or immobilise the enemies of the nation or its law-breakers? The only question that can arise is whether Afzal was afforded due justice. The question of his not getting a lawyer and all that should be taken seriously. Since the verdict is of the Supreme Court’s, it must have considered this issue also. However, to ensure that justice was not only done but also seen to be done, the President can refer this question back to the Supreme Court or whoever to clarify whether all procedural precedence was followed in the trial of Afzal. We cannot weaken any of our institutions by not following procedures in upholding the law of the land. Once this is satisfied, it should be the death penalty for a person who, in seeking to attack the Parliament, is beyond doubt an enemy of the nation. Commuting his sentence to life imprisonment is a burden of the state, for it has to feed him, protect him, treat him when necessary and finally free him. We are only straining our limited resources in doing this, thereby achieving the goal of the enemies of our nation. 8:58:00 PM Posted By VenuGopal Comment (0) Uncategorized