The pronouncement of death penalty by the District Saket Court on the fatal Delhi gang rape case of 16 December’2012 has certainly echoed fresh controversies on if there should be capital punishment or not, however it’s evident enough that death penalty or hanging can never be justified in the form of justice or can’t bring justice to anybody.
Any civilized society can never have any place for death penalty. Whatever may the crime be, but killing someone is synonymously a form of violence. For the innumerable form of violent and heinous crimes taking place in the society, we ourselves say that violence in any form is unacceptable, then how can we justify death penalty and support the right to take life of others.
According to Amnesty International, says that there are thousands of people in this country who believe that the use of death penalty is arbitrary, flawed and biased. Death penalty is merely short term revenge. Speaking in the context of rape, there’s no doubt that it’s one of the most heinous crime prevalent in the society and stringent punishment must be ensured, however though we presume that the survivors of rape and other women centric violence might want the killing or physical harm of the convict, but through studies and research by women based activists procured that even the women folk who are the worst sufferers of violence and abhorrent acts doesn’t the physical harm of the convicts. According to the victims, what has been done to them, they never want that to happen with others. What they sought is justice, not revenge and death in any form can’t bring justice to anyone. Moreover, death and a few minutes of fear before it is not what can be termed as punishment.
Very often we feel that death penalty might work as an asset towards bringing down the crime rate or creating a fear towards committing it. However, there’s no any evidence or research to suggest that death penalty succeeded in deterring the crime rate or creating a fearing. A shocking survey reveals that, in several western countries where death penalty is still prevalent the crime rate is higher than, the countries which have abolished capital punishment. Speaking about the Saudi-Arabian and some Islamic countries, punishment like public hanging, chopping of limbs or stoning to death might create a degree of fear or deterrence of crimes but, again we need to question ourselves, do we want to transit to a society of that sort where merely in a week or more judgment is being delivered and death penalty is handed over, where there’s even doubt in the credibility of the judgment. There might even be chances of false fabrication of the accused.
Shifting focus to the Indian justice system, there are certain disturbing elements in the system too. According to the law only the rarest of the rare cases deserve capital punishment, but earlier this while examining the parameters of the rarest of the rare cases the court said that, while delivering judgment in a particular case, the aura of the society must also be considered. Now, this in itself is very shocking, how can the society’s will towards a particular case be surveyed. Does this mean that, the justice system must go with the street noises? Again, if a person is against death penalty in a particular case, now how can the fellow register his discontentment?
Lastly, this again brings us to the question why death penalty can’t be considered as a form of justice. Killing can never transform a society; it cannot serve or justify a community or society in any form. There’s a lot more to do, to make the society grow. To uplift the society in terms of aesthetic and moral grounds focus should be on creating a space for education, acuity, equal access to justice and legal opportunity and eradication of poverty.
Any civilized society can never have any place for death penalty. Whatever may the crime be, but killing someone is synonymously a form of violence. For the innumerable form of violent and heinous crimes taking place in the society, we ourselves say that violence in any form is unacceptable, then how can we justify death penalty and support the right to take life of others.
The Death Penalty makes killers of us all. Photo Credit: fractalznet via cc
Very often we feel that death penalty might work as an asset towards bringing down the crime rate or creating a fear towards committing it. However, there’s no any evidence or research to suggest that death penalty succeeded in deterring the crime rate or creating a fearing. A shocking survey reveals that, in several western countries where death penalty is still prevalent the crime rate is higher than, the countries which have abolished capital punishment. Speaking about the Saudi-Arabian and some Islamic countries, punishment like public hanging, chopping of limbs or stoning to death might create a degree of fear or deterrence of crimes but, again we need to question ourselves, do we want to transit to a society of that sort where merely in a week or more judgment is being delivered and death penalty is handed over, where there’s even doubt in the credibility of the judgment. There might even be chances of false fabrication of the accused.
Shifting focus to the Indian justice system, there are certain disturbing elements in the system too. According to the law only the rarest of the rare cases deserve capital punishment, but earlier this while examining the parameters of the rarest of the rare cases the court said that, while delivering judgment in a particular case, the aura of the society must also be considered. Now, this in itself is very shocking, how can the society’s will towards a particular case be surveyed. Does this mean that, the justice system must go with the street noises? Again, if a person is against death penalty in a particular case, now how can the fellow register his discontentment?
Lastly, this again brings us to the question why death penalty can’t be considered as a form of justice. Killing can never transform a society; it cannot serve or justify a community or society in any form. There’s a lot more to do, to make the society grow. To uplift the society in terms of aesthetic and moral grounds focus should be on creating a space for education, acuity, equal access to justice and legal opportunity and eradication of poverty.