Chennai: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder leader Dr S. Ramadoss on Thursday demanded that the Centre roll back the proposal to amend the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) regarding the mercy petition.
Ramadoss in a statement on Thursday said, “The Central government has announced that the decision of the President on the mercy petition is final and cannot be appealed against in the Supreme Court. An amendment has been made to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). This will take away the right of mistakenly convicted and convicts who wish to reform in life.”
The PMK leader in the statement also said that there could be instances wherein the Supreme Court had canceled death penalties and that the new amendment will take away that opportunity.
He also said that the President would not only delay the decision on mercy petitions and added the sometimes the decision could be motivated by politics.
Dr. Ramadoss also said that death penalty was abolished in 150 countries in the world and wanted India also to abolish death penalty.
The senior leader said that the decision of the government to amend CrPC and to rest the power of death penalty with the President will take the country backward.
He called upon the Central government to drop the decision to make an amendment in the CrPC regarding death petition and wanted the power for final decision on death penalty to rest with the Supreme Court.
–IANS