They need to be shown the right path

The excitement surrounding death sentence imposed on the four convicts in the Delhi gang-rape case is uncalled for.

The convicts are of such young age (the youngest of the four is 19 and the eldest is 28) that efforts should be taken to reform them instead of sending them to the gallows. What they did was horrific. They should be convicted for the crime they committed but the sentence should have been lenient keeping their age in mind.

By awarding them the death sentence, the government is simply giving up on such young people. No one wants to take the responsibility to reform and rehabilitate them. The state should not just give up on them.

They are young people, influenced by  wrong people and they need to be shown the right path. The trial court should have sentenced them to life and looked into their reformation and rehabilitation instead. The court should look into all the facts and circumstances of the case and then award the punishment objectively.
The court cannot be swayed by popular public demand. I am not condoning what the convicts did but the extreme sentence is not justifiable.

(Adenwala is an advocate and activist fighting for the rights of children)