CHENNAI: DMK head and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has sought the commutation of death sentences handed out to the three men convicted in the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In a statement issued at the DMK headquarters on Monday, Karunanidhi repeatedly stated that life imprisonment was a more stringent punishment for the crime of murder than death sentence.“When a person is convicted for murder and imprisoned for life, he repents for the rest of his life for the act he has committed. This is not achieved when the person is executed. It is on this basis that I oppose capital punishment,” he said.“Life imprisonment also gives the convict an opportunity to mend his ways and lead a reformed life. As one who understands that these three Tamil youth will lead pure lives if they are saved from the gallows, I pray that the 20 years they have spent in prison be considered enough punishment and their death sentences cancelled,” Karunanidhi said.The veteran politician also noted that had Rajiv Gandhi been alive today, he would have shown mercy upon the three men - Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan.
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