The Hindu : National : Kasab may be hanged in a year: Moily

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Kasab may be hanged in a year: Moily

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday said Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was sentenced to death in the 26/11 attacks case, may be hanged in a year.

“I don't think it (execution of Kasab's sentence) should take more than one year...after all, these are the days of fast tracking cases...,” Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily told the CNN IBN responding to a question.

Public sentiments

Talking to the NDTV, Mr. Moily said that since public sentiments were attached with the terror attack, the courts could adopt speedy procedures.

“[The] Kasab case will be one such case which needs to [be] fast-tracked by the High Court and definitely the verdict should be given,” he said.

“This is a case where I do not think he [Kasab] can invoke any provision of the mercy petition...The incident of 26/11 involved brutal and barbaric murder. He was an active participant into it... that is how he was convicted and sentenced to death in [the] rarest of rare cases. This has been considered by the judge who has convicted him... sentiments are riding very high. This is a matter, which has to be considered by everyone,” Mr. Moily said.

On the issue of mercy petitions, the Minister said, “The time has come. We cannot delay the processing of mercy petitions, whatever it may be. It can be processed early.”

In the backdrop of increasing instances of diktats being issued by caste councils on marriages involving couples belonging to same sub-castes, Mr. Moily said murders in the name of honour could not be justified.

No proposal

Asked whether his Ministry was working on a proposal to amend the Hindu Marriage Act to ban marriages within the same sub-caste [gotra] as demanded by caste councils or ‘khap panchayats,' he said he did not receive any representation or proposal in this regard.

In a move aimed at dealing with the problem of honour killings, the government mooted proposals to amend the law to classify such incidents separately under the Indian Penal Code which would also arraign a caste panchayat which orders such acts.

As per the amendment, bodies such as caste panchayats could be brought under the ambit of the crime if they were accused of ordering killings in the name of protecting honour of a community. — PTI

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