CJ Lahoti for death penalty

NEW DELHI: Coinciding with the death penalty awarded by a sessions court to those who attacked the Red Fort, outgoing Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti said on Monday, the day of his retirement, that the capital punishment is the only answer to such dastardly attacks on humanity.

Lahoti does not agree either with President A P J Kalam, who wants life imprisonment instead of execution, nor with his successor CJI Y K Sabharwal, who wants to do away with the extreme step of awarding the life sentence as was done in European countries and many states of US.

Bidding farewell to the highest judicial authority which he adorned for years, Justice Lahoti was shocked at the serial blasts in Delhi and said: "Which other penalty is required other than this (death) for this dastardly act. What other punishment is called for. Ask the man who has masterminded this blast."

"Speaking for myself, I think that death penalty must continue to exist...we cannot go by what is happening in the Western countries," said Justice Lahoti.