Published 19:00 IST, January 17th 2020
Nirbhaya Case: Arvind Kejriwal slams ‘sad politics’, asks ‘shouldn’t we join hands?’
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal expressed his displeasure over the 'sad politics' done over the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case, after Smriti Irani accused the govt of delay.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his displeasure over the 'sad politics' done over the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case. With Delhi elections around the corner, Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday accused the AAP government of the delay in the execution of Nirbhaya rapists. Sharing a news article of Smriti Irani's accusation, Arvind Kejriwal appealed against the politicisation of the matter.
In a tweet, Kejriwal discouraged the 'politics being played' over the Nirbhaya rape case, and urged to refine the justice system to ensure the hanging within six months. Moreover, urging the BJP government to working towards creating a safe city for the women in unison. Kejriwal said, "I feel sad, politics is being done on such an issue. Shouldn't we be working together to ensure guilty are hanged at the soonest? Shouldn't we join hands to ensure a system so that such beasts get hanged within six months? Please don't do politics on this. Let's together create a safe city for our women."
BJP-AAP blame game
Days ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections both AAP and the BJP engaged in a blame-game over the execution of Nirbhaya's rapists. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar pointed out that Tihar jail authorities had not notified the convicts of their legal options since 2017, while AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that the Kejriwal government had immediately rejected the mercy petition. All 4 convicts have been moved to Jail No. 3 where the hanging is scheduled to take place.
Holding a press conference, on Friday, BJP's Smriti Irani lashed out at the Delhi Chief Minister for 'keeping Nirbhaya's mother away from justice.' Expressing her anger, she said, "On one side, the whole nation was waiting for the death penalty to these rapists, on the other side, the state's AAP government was keeping Nirbhaya's mother away from justice. Today, as a woman worker of the BJP, I want to express anger when I heard the statement from an AAP leader where they denied taking any responsibility for delaying justice. I want to tell the citizens of the country, the Supreme Court had rejected the review petition in 2018."
Adding that the prisons department comes under the AAP government, Irani said, "Why didn't they wake up until Asha Devi came out in public and started appealing. What is the reason because of which Nirbhaya and her mother were kept waiting for justice.? What is the reason that AAP's lawyer in the court, said that there will be a delay in executing the rapists? Why did the Aam Aadmi Party government let off the juvenile who was involved and also gave him Rs 10,000 and a sewing kit? I want to say this to the Aam Aadmi Party that because of them the rapists were not given the death penalty on time."
Updated 19:00 IST, January 17th 2020