Editor,
Framers of the Juvenile Justice Act may not have foreseen that a minor would commit such a brutal and dastardly crime as in the case of the sixth accused in the Delhi gang rape case. A minor in normal circumstances is likely to commit only petty crimes like theft, pick pocketing etc and in such cases they are awarded mild punishment and kept under custody for reforming and joining the mainstream of the society. There may be instances where a minor can be misused and prompted to commit a crime under coercion, duress, intimidation, undue influence, threatening etc. Under such circumstances also minor does not deserve harsh punishment. However, in the instant case the so called minor was the most brutal attacker on the innocent girl. Hence he deserves no leniency just because he is few months short of majority. This is one of the rarest of rare case of dreadful crime and one should go by the spirit of law rather than the words in the statute. Further, his date of birth is determined based on school records. At the time of admission to school, in many cases especially in the villages date of birth as told by the parent or guardian is recorded. There are innumerable cases where official date of birth and actual date of birth differs. However, prosecution demand for a bone ossification test has been turned down by the Juvenile Justice Board. Prosecution should challenge it in the higher court to meet the ends of justice. Allowing the accused to escape with a minor punishment for the most heinous crime will be an aberration of law and a great travesty of justice. The least consolation for the bereaved family and the millions of mourners is to award exemplary punishment to the accused leaving aside the loopholes in the law.
Yours etc.,
E M Adithyan,
Via email
29th January 2013
Elangalloor Mana
Edapal 679576
India between Rahul and Modi!
Editor
I am writing to say that I really enjoyed the morally balanced article, “The political legacy doesn’t help for all times to come! by Srinivasan K. Rangachary. It was so well written …so clear sighted … and so ominous. Indeed if the only choice lies between Modi and Rahul Gandhi, we are in trouble.
Yours etc..
Deepa Majumdar