I have two points to make. Mr D Raja has attracted the attention of the nation through this Private Members’ Resolution, which is very sensitive and humane, in view of the fact that many countries in the world have started reviewing whether death sentence should continue or not.
Now, Sir, what happened in our country? Some of my Samajwadi Party friends have mentioned about how our freedom fighters were hanged during the time of the British. I don’t want to travel back in history. But we have seen that Maharaja Nanda Kumar, who revolted against Warren Hastings, was hanged in a case of forgery of documents. This has also happened in our country.
Now, from that period we have travelled ahead. Now, Sir, the time has come because our apex court, our Hon’ble Supreme Court, has also opened its doors in the wee hours to review or to look into the decision-making process of the President of India whether he has considered the clemency petition of an offender who has been convicted with death punishment. So this situation has arisen, Sir. In the background of that situation, when different countries in the world have started reviewing the death penalty, I would request the Government through you, Sir, that, keeping in mind that the Supreme Court has also said, and with an eminent lawyers like Ravi Shankar Prasad Ji and the Hon’ble Law Minister present here, in three to four cases that in the rarest of rare cases only this should be applicable, possibly we should go beyond that and this matter should be referred to the Law Commission for an appropriate review of the entire gamut of the situation arising out of which we are discussing the continuance or discontinuance of death penalty.
Sir, I would urge upon the Government through you to refer the matter to the Law Commission in order to review the entire thing and make its recommendation so that this Parliament can discuss this issue in future again and come to a conclusive decision.
Thank you, Sir.