Perarivalan case: Vindicated in our stand that death penalty could go wrong, says activist
The Hindu
Perseverance paid off for Perarivalan, says rights activist
The Supreme Court setting A.G. Perarivalan, one of the life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, at liberty is a shot in the arm for the People’s Movement Against Death Penalty, its convenor Selvaraj Murugaiyan has said.
Reacting to Perarivalan’s release after 31 years of imprisonment in the case, Mr. Murugaiyan, who spearheaded the campaign against death penalty by lobbying with politicians, legal experts and other rights activists, said perseverance paid off for Perarivalan.
He said the PMADP was founded by the late Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer against the cruel and barbaric practice of death sentences in evolved societies.
“We did play a significant role in the campaign against death penalty for Perarivalan et al, as we took his case as a role model and analysed it in-depth via a documentary called ‘Uyirvali’ aired during 2014,” Mr. Murugaiyan told The Hindu on Wednesday.
It was in this documentary that former Superintendent of Police Thiagarajan who took the statement of Perarivalan said that his confession was not recorded in full and hence was erroneous.
Justice K.T. Thomas, who upheld Perarivalan’s sentence in the Supreme Court, demanded through this documentary that he be released immediately..
“These revelations made ripples across the nation, but the fruits were never ripe for another 8 years and Perarivalan continued his lone battle for justice even after 2014. Perarivalan might have been long released if his case was looked up on the merits or legality of the case. But unfortunately, he was stuck in-between the powers of the State and the Union governments and its own bureaucracy,” Mr.Murugaiyan said.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.