Death Sentence for Nirbhaya killers - 2017

Today the Supreme Court delivered death sentence to the culprits of the Nirbhaya rape case which shook the nation few years back. The decision was on expected lines and didn't come to me as surprise. 

Jumping into judging the judgment of the judges regarding death sentence can be tricky. It's veracity needs to be looked beyond the narrow prism of caste, race or religion. Dastardly acts provoke dastardly response. 

The debate about Capital Punishment and the state taking law into own hands in a civilized society is probably as old as the civilization itself. I have seen many squabble over the efficacy of death sentence. The gloat over the death sentence awarded to those responsible for this heinous act was highest amongst women as they could relate to the agony of the victim. 

Males were certainly anguished by this heinous act, but the outpouring outrage from the ladies is quite understandable.  It probably explains why more males than females question the righteousness of the death penalty, especially in case of rape.

Yet, the contrast of opinions is quite conspicuous. Before passing some armchair judgment, let's take a pause and contemplate by stepping into the shoes of the victim's family, be it Nirbhaya's (the girl raped in Delhi) or anyone else.

It would be easy for me to preach eye for an eye is wrong, State has no right to kill an individual, blah blah. But would I be talking at the same breath if I can relate the victim to one of my near and dear one ? I don't think so.

In America death penalty is a state subject, most conservative states have it, most liberal states don't. The nation is evenly divided on the issue. Here the family of the victim is allowed to watch the execution of the perpetrator. 

They perhaps do it for a reason. It may not be humane, but it is human. I have no  illusions to be superhuman. Normally I won't hurt a fly, let alone watch someone die. But God forbid, if one day I am invited to such an event I will take the first row. 

No wonder in movies nobody sheds a tear when the bad guy falls. These Nirbhaya convicts goose is cooked, for one fine morning (not sure why hangings are done in the morning), they will be hung until death from the hangman's noose, as the President is highly unlikely to pardon them.

Hang in there. Before I end this blog, I can't but mention this monologue sonnet delivered by in the Hollywood Western Classic - "3.10 TO YUMA ", based in 19th Century US. Electric Chair wasn't invented yet, when Hanging in the Public was the preferred mode of execution in America's Wild Wild West. A hangman taunts the convict before taking him to the gallows :

"They will hang me in the morning,
They will hang me before dawn.
They will hang me in the morning,
I will never see the Sun".

I can attribute the same sonnet to these convicts. RIP Nirbhaya.