We still need to continue with death penalty, says former CJI

He said that India hadn't yet reached the stage where capital punishment can be done away with

Amid the debate over death penalty against the backdrop of last month's execution of Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today said he favoured its continuance.

Balakrishnan, who attended the convocation ceremony at Sumandeep Vidyapith here, told PTI that India hadn't yet reached the stage where capital punishment can be done away with.

"The capital punishment is awarded in the rarest of the rare cases, and there are adequate safeguards provided in the law," he said.

"India has not reached the stage where death punishment could be abolished. I personally feel that the death penalty should continue. It has got a very great deterrent effect on the society," said the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.

While 24 states in the country have set up the State Human Rights Commission, the remaining ones, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and the north eastern states, would set up the rights body at the earliest, he hoped.