National

President rejects first mercy petition: Convict burnt alive 7 of a family

President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected his first mercy petition of a death-row convict who had burned alive seven members of a family, including five children, over a case of buffalo theft.

The case pertains to gruesome killing of Vijendra Mahto and six of his family members by Jagat Rai in Raghopur block of Bihar’s Vaishali district in 2006.

Mahto had lodged a case of theft of his buffalo in September 2005 in which Rai, Wazir Rai and Ajay Rai were named as accused.

The accused (now convicts) were pressuring Mahto to withdraw the case.

Rai had set on fire Mahto’s house that resulted in the death of latter’s wife and five children. Mahto, who had sustained serious burn injuries then, died after few months.

After being convicted of the crime and being awarded the death penalty by the local court, the high court and the Supreme Court in 2013 too gave their nod for the hanging. Rai’s mercy plea was then sent to the president’s secretariat.

The office of the president had sought the Home Ministry’s views which gave its recommendation on July 12 last year.

The mercy petition (of Mahto) was rejected by the president on April 23, 2018, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué.

This is the first mercy plea decided by Kovind after he became the president in July last year.

There is no other mercy petition pending with the president’s secretariat.

Under Article 72 of the Constitution, The president shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence where the sentence is a sentence of death.

Dear Readers,
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
Some error occurred

Related posts

National

Punjab government to send team amid reports of threats to Shillong Sikhs

TestHostEntry

Concerned about reports of security threats to Sikhs in Shillong, the Amarinder Singh government in Punjab has decided to rush a four-member team headed by Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa to the Meghalayan capital, an official said in Chandigarh on Sunday.

The team will make a ground assessment of the situation in the troubled areas and extend all possible help to the Sikh community there, an official spokesperson said.

The chief minister has directed the team, which has MPs Gurjit Aujla and Ravneet Bittu, and MLA Kuldip Singh Vaid as its members, to leave for Shillong on Monday morning.

Amarinder Singh has sought Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s cooperation in facilitating the team’s visit and ensuring their access to areas from where reports of tension were coming in, said the spokesperson.

The Punjab chief minister also urged Conrad Sangma to provide protection and safety to the Sikh community and their religious institutions in the state, the spokesperson said.

The decision to send a team to Shillong was triggered by reports that, despite the Meghalayan chief minister’s assurance, the situation was still not under control and had the potential of escalating further, said the spokesperson.

Amarinder Singh has offered all possible help to the Meghalayan government in ensuring the security of the Dalit Sikhs, whose ancestors were reportedly brought to Shillong during the British era.

The Punjab chief minister said, if necessary, the centre should intervene to defuse communal tensions in which the Sikhs in Shillong were caught.

Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called up Amarinder Singh to assure him of the safety of the Sikh community.

Mr Sangma had called up the Punjab chief minister on Friday night to apprise him of the situation in the state in the wake of communal violence triggered by a minor incident and to allay any apprehensions of the Sikh community being under attack.

Related posts