A Chaotic Penal Discussion on the Release of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan

"If some person kills the PM and is released then how will a common man will get justice. It's a point to ponder" - Rahul Gandhi

(MELBOURNE) - Tamil Nadu Government on 19 February 2014 decided to set free, within three days of the Supreme Court judgement, all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The SC commuted the death penalty of three assassins, Santhan, Murugan, the husband of Nalini and Perarivalan, to life imprisonment.

TN CM J Jayalalithaa, who took the decision for early release of the Rajiv killers at an emergency Cabinet meeting, announced the decision. Rahul Gandhi said he was sad over the Tamil Nadu government's decision to set free all the seven people convicted in the assassination of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The Congress Vice President, who was 21 when Rajiv was killed by a suicide bomber at an election rally in Sriperumbedur, near Chennai, on May 21, 1991, said at the same time said he was not in favour of death penalty. Jayalalithaa's decision for early release of Rajiv Gandhi's killers invited a sharp reaction from Congress, which termed it as "irresponsible, perverse and populist".

Rahul also said, "If some person kills the PM and is released then how will a common man will get justice. It's a point to ponder," he said while addressing a gathering at Purab village here in Jagdishpur.

"In this country even the PM does not get justice. This is my heart's voice," he said, but he failed to realise there were numerous reports of miscarriage of justice in the trial.

In cases like these the benefit of the doubt is often given to the defendant. At the same time it is deplorable for anyone to kill the prime minister of any country, whatever his crime may have been.

Tirichy Velusamy, a former Congressman had stated, that Subramaniam Swamy as law minister failed to protest Rajiv on that fatal day. He wants know why not a single Congressman was killed when Rajiv died? Why did they allow their leader to go alone? No previous investigations answered any of these questions. Only a retrial of the Rajiv murder will reveal many more culprits involved in the murder.

Now coming back to the chaotic debate, Subramaniam Swamy quoted from the Bhagavad Gita that Krishna justified killing those who had killed. I was surprised as a Brahmin he couldn't quote the Gita appropriately. Krishna talked about upholding dharma (righteousness) as against adharma (unrighteousness). He pointed out to uphold dharma one should be prepared to sacrifice his life and also kill the unrighteousness opponent. Suren asked Subramaniam Swamy which Gita Rajapaksa was following when he killed 40,000 Tamils. To this the so-called Swamy replied that Rajapaksa was following the Gita. As per Gita, Rajapaksa, like Duryodhana in the Gita, is an epitome of adharma, and he deserves to be exterminated. Subramaniam Swamy is an associate of Rajapaksa. Please view the three links.