A Twitter post on the upcoming execution of the four men convicted in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case of 2012 has landed senior lawyer Indira Jaising in hot water.
Jaising had tweeted on Friday night that Asha Devi, the mother of the gang-rape and murder victim, should follow the example of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who had "forgiven" Nalini. Nalini was one of the people sentenced to death for participating in the conspiracy to assassinate former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was Sonia's husband, in 1991. In 1999, Sonia Gandhi asked then president K.R. Narayanan to grant clemency to Nalini, citing the fact she had a young daughter.
Jaising tweeted, "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."
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. https://t.co/VkWNIbiaJp
— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 17, 2020
Responding to Jaising's suggestion, Asha Devi was quoted by ANI as saying, "Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion?". Asha Devi declared the whole country wanted the convicts to be executed. " Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims," Asha Devi said.
Asha Devi added, she could not believe "How how Indira Jaising even dared to suggest such this. I met her many times over the years in Supreme Court, not once she asked for my well being and today she is speaking for convicts." Asha Devi further charged alleged that "such people (referring to Jaising) earn livelihood by supporting rapists, hence rape incidents don't stop,"
Asha Devi told News 18 Indira Jaising was "making money on human rights' ground. I don't need her suggestion".
Indira Jaisingh was the top trend on Twitter at 11am and not surprisingly, most of the tweets were critical of her.
Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP's information and technology wing, took aim at Indira Jaising's political affiliation and charged the Congress and AAP "were are doing everything to deny justice to Nirbhaya and her parents."
Malviya tweeted, "Indira Jaising, who advised Nirbhaya’s mother to ‘forgive’ the convicts, was ASG in the UPA government. After testing waters with Asha Devi’s candidature for Delhi, only to hastily retract, Congress and AAP are doing everything to deny justice to Nirbhaya and her parents. Shame!"
