Show no leniency to juvenile criminals: Suresh Gopi

Malayalam superstar Suresh Gopi feels no leniency should be shown to juvenile criminals.

"Why should there be a different set of laws for criminals who are juveniles? As far as I am concerned there should be no reason for any leniency," Gopi told media persons here Friday, reacting to the death sentences awarded to the four convicts in the Dec 16, 2012 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in Delhi.

Of the six accused in the case, one was a juvenile and tried by the Juvenile Justice Board, which Aug 31 sentenced him to a reform home for three years, the maximum sentence under juvenile law. The sixth accused was found dead in his Tihar Jail cell.

The superstar, who has been rated as "the best-ever police official on screen", said the ideal judgement as far as he is concerned would have been one where the convict undergoes torture for life.

"Then only those who have done this heinous act would know what the real pain is," said Gopi.

Actress Bhavana said that she feels really happy that the accused have been given the death punishment.

"Today I am really happy about our judiciary because at times I felt, maybe the accused would wriggle out for want of proper evidence, but it did not happen," she said.

Students of law at Kochi said that the Delhi court should be complimented for the speed at which the judgement was delivered.