Jayant Sinha expresses 'regret' over garlanding lynching convicts

After drawing criticism from all quarters, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on Wednesday expressed regret over his recent act of garlanding eight people convicted of lynching a man to death.

"I have said many times that the matter is still sub judice. It won't be fair to talk on this. Law will take its own course. We have always worked towards punishing the guilty and sparing the innocent. If by garlanding them (Ramgarh lynching case convicts) an impression has gone out that I support such vigilantism then I express regret over it," Jayant Sinha said here.

On July 6, a photograph went viral in which the minister could be seen felicitating eight convicts, who came out on bail, of lynching a meat trader in Jharkhand state last year.

Jayant Sinha's act received strong criticism not only from the Opposition, but also from his father and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

"Earlier, I was the Nalayak Baap of a Layak Beta. Now the roles are reversed. That is twitter. I do not approve of my son's action. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can never win," Yashwant Sinha earlier tweeted.

On Tuesday a petition was also started on Change.org which demanded removal of Jayant Sinha's Harvard Business School alumni status.

The petition was also supported by Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Twitter.

"If the sight of a highly educated MP and Central Minister, Jayant Sinha, garlanding and honouring criminals convicted of lynching an innocent man, fills you with disgust, click on the link and support this petition," Rahul Gandhi tweeted alongside a link to the site.