Forgive rapists like Sonia did Rajiv’s killers; Nirbhaya’s mom reacts

Senior advocate Indira Jaising earlier stirred a hornet’s nest when she said Asha Devi, Nirbhaya’s mom should forgive the rapists who brutally gangraped and murdered her daughter, just like how Sonia Gandhi forgave the killers who assassinated her husband Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India. In a tweet, the advocate wrote, “While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn’t not want the death penalty for her . We are with you but against death penalty.” (sic)

Now, Asha Devi has strongly reacted to Jaising’s statement and told ANI, “Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion? The whole country wants the convicts to be executed. Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims."

Cannot believe how Indira Jaising even dared to suggest this. I met her many times over the years in Supreme Court, not even once has she asked for my wellbeing and today she is speaking for the convicts. Such people earn their livelihood by supporting rapists, hence rape incidents do not stop," she further added.

The convicts in the Nirbhaya case - Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh – are set to be hanged on February 1 at Tihar jail. The quartet was handed a death sentence earlier this month for brutally gangraping and murdering a 23-year-old physiotherapy student way back in Delhi in 2012.