To,

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar

4, Deshratna Marg,

Patna, Bihar - 800001

2nd November, 2016

Subject: Release of Death Row Prisoners, Nanhe Lal Mochi, Veer Kuar Paswan, Krishna Mochi and Dharmender Singh, convicted in the Bara Massacre Case, 1992. 

Sir,

Dead Wrong: Why was DhananjoyChatterjee Hanged?is a report which questions the judicial decision to hang Dhananjoy Chatterjee on 14th August 2004 in Kolkata’s Alipore Correctional Home. Chatterjee, a security guard, was awarded death penalty for the rape and murder of an 18 year old girl, Hetal Parekh, in March 1990 in her apartment in Bhowanipore, Kolkata.

Honourable Sir,

Please accept the following petition and signatures appealing for clemency for Yakub Memon. The petition was circulated and the signatures were collected this afternoon in Delhi University from students and teachers.

Sincerely,

Megha Bahl, Sharmila Purkayastha

Secretaries, PUDR

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The President of India

After the Supreme Court rejected Yakub Memon’s curative petition on 21st July 2015, Memon has filed a mercy petition before the Governor and also a validity plea before the apex court. Many believe that he is cleverly using the system to buy time. Against those who are baying for his blood, it is important to remember that there are, arguably, very good reasons why he should not be hanged:

On 15th July, the Maharashtra government announced that it has initiated the process for hanging Yakub Memon. On 30th July, 2015 ‘he is to be hung by the neck till dead’. The announcement seemed inevitable after the Supreme Court had rejected his review petition on 10th April this year. Except that Yakub Memon has still not exhausted all legal remedies as he has a curative petition due to be heard in the Supreme Court on 21st July.

The irreversibility of death penalty, and the likelihood of innocents being executed by the Judiciary, is one of the strongest arguments for abolishing capital punishment. Dhananjoy Chatterjee today joins the list of persons where clear evidence exists that they were erroneously handed death penalty by the Indian judicial system.

PUDR notes with extreme concern the Supreme Court's decision on the 9th of April 2015, to reject Yakub Memon’s petition seeking review of his death sentence. This decision will only add another chapter to the growing instances of injustice perpetrated by the State. In the name of providing relief for those killed in the heinous Bombay blasts of 1993 one finds a punishment based on selective targeting and prejudice.

पीपल्स यूनियन फॉर डेमोक्रेटिक राइट्स 1999 के शंकरबीघा जनसंहार (जहानाबाद ज़िला) के सभी दोषियों को बरी करने की तीव्र निंदा करता है |

PUDR notes with extreme concern the imminent hanging of Mohd. [email protected] Mohd. Ashfaq, a Pakistani national for the 22nd December 2000 attack on the Red Fort in which three army personnel of 7th batallion of the Rajputana Rifles lost their lives.Mohd. Arif was arrested on 25th December 2000 along with his wife Rehmana. In October 2005 he was sentenced to death by the trial court for waging war against the state and conspiracy to commit murder. This sentence was upheld by the Delhi High Court in September 2007.