Don't agree with Indira Jaising remarks on death penalty in Nirbhaya case, says KTS Tulsi

Rajya Sabha MP KTS Tulsi on Saturday said that he does not agree with Indira Jaising's remark, in which she spoke against death penalty and suggested to Nirbhaya's mother to forgive the convicts, and said that people of such "derived character" do not deserve to live.

"Indian has managed to balance having the death penalty by having rarely used it. In the last 17 years, only four executions have taken place.However, this is a case where barbarity and brutality took place," Tulsi, a senior advocate, told .

"I don't think people of such deprived character deserve to live and we need to make an example of this," the Congress leader said.

Yesterday, Indira Jaising, through a tweet, had urged Asha Devi to forgive the perpetrators and had used the example of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, who had forgiven Nalini, one of the convicts who was given the death penalty by the courts.

BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said that there is "nothing more painful and shameful than Jaising's statement".

"We all remember how people had gathered after the incident. People were waiting for the execution. Nothing can be more painful and shamefu than the statement of Indira Jaising. This must also be painful Asha Devi, who is struggling hard to get justice for her daughter," Ilmi said.

The BJP leader also slammed the AAP-led government in Delhi for "criminal negligence" and "pretending to act in the favor of Nirbhaya".

"They (Delhi government) did not give a notice to the accused of more than two years. They are claiming the delay in execution is because Delhi Police does not come under the Delhi government's ambit. However, everyone knows that Tihar jail administration comes under the jurisdiction of Delhi," she said.

Earlier today, Asha Devi, the mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim had slammed senior lawyer Indira Jaising for her suggestion that she should forgive her daughter's rapists.

"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," Asha Devi said.

Jaising had said she fully identifies with the pain of Asha Devi but was against death penalty.

"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 did not want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against the death penalty," she had said in the tweet.

( With inputs from ANI )