Former high court judge slams Indira Jaising's remark

Retired Delhi High Court Judge Justice RS Sodhi on Saturday accused human rights activist and senior lawyer Indira Jasing of seeking limelight by suggesting that Nirbhaya's mother should forgive the perpetrators and said that such insensitivity must be checked.

"As far as an opinion about forgiving or not forgiving the convicts goes, it is up to the victim's mother. However, was she (Jasing) a part of the candle marches and protests that took place after the incident? Now that the law has taken its course, you are asking the mother to be kind?" Sodhi told ANI here.

He said that the victim's mother did not make death penalty law and had nothing to do with the conviction either.

"Is this not insensitivity at this time? This insensitivity must be checked. Whatever your views may be on the death penalty or whatever activism you want to do, do it in a rational manner. Don't seek limelight all the time on wrong things," Sodhi said.

"Debate over whether the death penalty is a proper punishment has been going on for long and will continue. Until the law is changed, rarest of rare cases will get the death sentences. This was one of those cases," he added.

Yesterday, Indira Jaising, through a tweet, had urged Asha Devi to forgive the perpetrators and had used the example of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, who had forgiven Nalini, one of the convicts who was given the death penalty by the courts.

Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai has also condemned Indira Jaising for her statement.

"Jaising's statement is wrong. People who deserve to live get forgiveness. However, those who commit these brutal and inhuman crimes should not be forgiven. Such a statement by a woman advocate, at a time when so many rape cases are happening across the country, is an insult to all," Desai told ANI in Mumbai.

Earlier today, Asha Devi, the mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim had slammed senior lawyer Indira Jaising for her suggestion that she should forgive her daughter's rapists.

"Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion? The whole country wants the convicts to be executed. Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims," Asha Devi had said.

Jaising had, in a tweet, had said: "While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she did not want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against the death penalty.