To
H.E. The Pakistan High Commissioner to India
Janab Salman Bashir Saheb
Your Excellency,
I request you to convey my following message to H.E. The President of Pakistan and H.E. The Prime Minister of Pakistan :
Your Excellency,
You must have heard that Ajmal Kasab has been hanged in India. I wish to respectfully point out to you that his case is totally different from that of Sarabjit Singh who has been on death row in Pakistan for 21 years in connection with the Lahore bomb blast in 1990 which killed 14 persons.
About Kasab there is no doubt about his guilt, as he was caught red handed. However, there is grave doubt about the guilt of Sarabjit Singh. So the two cases are not similar.
No doubt your Courts have convicted Sarabjit, but I have carefully perused the evidence in his case and have found serious flaws in the prosecution version. His name was not even in the First Information Report. The main prosecution witness Shaukat Salim later retracted his statement and said it was given under police pressure. As regards his alleged 'confession', we all know how 'confessions are obtained in both our countries (by third degree methods ). Sarabjit's own version was that he had gone illegally to Pakistan for doing illegal liquor trade, and was arrested there and later falsely implicated in the bomb blast case.
Be that as it may, he has already spent over 21 years on death row, where one does not know when he may be hanged. This is enough to drive any one mad. I sincerely urge you to show mercy and excercise your power of pardon in his case.
In my previous 4 letters to you pleading for his pardon I have quoted Portia's speech on mercy in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice and the poem of the great Urdu poet Faiz.
I earnestly request you once again to pardon him and send him back to India
Regards
Justice Markandey Katju
(Chairman, Press Council of India
Former Judge, Supreme Court of India )
Response of H.E. The Pakistan Ambassador to India
Thank you Justice Katju. Your message will be forwarded to Islamabad.
Regards
Salman Bashir
great idea sir
ReplyDeleteI am glad someone is trying to speak up in the case. After the execution of Kasab, it would be very immature if they hang Sarabjit just as tit for tat.
ReplyDeleteSir thanks again for concern for Sarabjit. I wish if every judge in India as retired grandfather of law starts taking care of the countrymen as there own kids.
ReplyDeletehats off, sir....for yor kind efforts...
ReplyDeleteSatyamev Jayate.!!
ReplyDeleteSir at least i can see someone who is using his power correctly !!! hats off to u sir
ReplyDeleteAppreciate.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate you interest and active part with honesty and straight forwardness in ensuring justice to the people.
ReplyDeleteAs always Justice Katju immaculately impartial ...
ReplyDelete// immaculately impartial //
DeleteBrilliant...... :))
We need more Katju like personalities in our ruling system for a better nation.
Great Effort sir.Hats Off to you.
ReplyDeleteRaghvendra
Respected Sir,
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your foresightedness, that Pakistan might retaliate by hanging Sarabjeet. You are a gift to mankind.
Saashtaang pranam
Janardan
Sir ur a great combination of knowledge along with responsibilty..
ReplyDeleteI wud lyk to say For u...
"hazaar saal nargish apne be noori pe roti hai"
badi mushkil se hota hai chaman men didwaar paida...
Regards
naqueeb ahmed
Really worried about sarabjit.....Probably there will be something heinous done in retaliation by Pakistani establishment.
ReplyDeleteWith due regards,I hope your goodself will take Mr Afzal Guroo & Dr. Qasim Fatqoo with same seriousness .
ReplyDeleteAt least the pakistan foreign office is much faster in acknowledging receipt than our own CM's office.
ReplyDeletesir, we all appreciate your efforts. i was not aware that sarabjit has been charged for lahore bombings!!.. shocking it is
ReplyDeletethanks sir, aware me about sarabjit case
ReplyDeletesuper sir, www.frockdesigns.com online creative signal!
ReplyDeleteIn Days were people are loosing faith in Judiciary, we find a hope in you sir. Thank u.
ReplyDeleteSir, many people think about issues with genuine concern, your letter shows human action. It is all about the right timing.
ReplyDeletesarabjit Singh will have to pay the price for being Indian.
ReplyDeletesir we need a person like u to lead our country. could u please
ReplyDeleteRespected Katju Sir,
ReplyDeleteIts been a great move by you to interfere in this sensitive case.
In no time after execution of Kasab the fealthy politicians there are demanding for Sarabjit's execution. Which on legal ground is completely wrong!!
Hope this with lessen the outrage in them and give some wisdom.
Thank You Sir. :-)
After Kasab's hanging, there is no doubt that people in Pakistan must be demanding to speed up the process for Sarabjit. Though I don't see any hope now for him, we should at least give a last try for his release and act promptly to make sure that justice is done in this case.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see dignitaries like you taking up this matter and I wish our govt would also send a clear message to our neighbor as one innocent man's life is on stake.
Dear Sir,
ReplyDeleteI want you to take a look at the Rajeev Assassination Case victims. One of the 3 (Perarivalan) is really Innocent, Its a Framed case against him. He is waiting to be hanged for the 20 years. The Case is he helped the assassin Dhanu with a alkaline battery. CBI Produced a Bill for 20 RS, from a Petty Shop in the Court. (No one in a petty shop will give a bill in Tamil nadu for a 20 Rs Alkaline battery Purchaser).
The Main Accused Dhanu (killed in the bomb), Shuba, Sivarasan (went on a suicide and demised in bangalore) are already dead.
Its really hard that Murugan, Nalini, and Perarivalan (the Battery guy) are waiting for death.
They are already waiting for the 21 years, and If we hang them, Its a double punishment for a single offence.
I kindly request you to take a look at this once !
Regards,
Tamilan
Very appreciable efforts Sir. We need more people like you in every department. I some time feels we are left with only things to blame others. We have only this planet. The way you responded in the matter of two girls was appreciable. We are leaving democracy in the hands of people more often than not like you. Best of luck sir.
ReplyDeleteVery thankful to you Sir.As again your work inspired us to bring the reality into the picture and do something at the ground level. I am a big fan of you. you always fight for the truth irrespective of the challenges you encounter in doing so. Your last letter to the Maharashtra's CM worked as a catalyst in upholding the individual right's of the expression and insured Justice to those innocent girls who dared to speak against the mute fear. I wish that your this letter send a sense of morality in the deaf ear of Pakistan's executive wing and culminate into the release of Sarabjeet.
ReplyDeleteVery thankful to you Sir.As again your work inspired us to bring the reality into the picture and do something at the ground level. I am a big fan of you. you always fight for the truth irrespective of the challenges you encounter in doing so. Your last letter to the Maharashtra's CM worked as a catalyst in upholding the individual right's of the expression and insured Justice to those innocent girls who dared to speak against the mute fear. I wish that your this letter send a sense of morality in the deaf ear of Pakistan's executive wing and culminate into the release of Sarabjeet.
ReplyDeleteMy dear MR.Markandey ! Being a high profile personality,you don't suit such letters.You know the apex court of Pakistan has maintained the prime punishment of Indian terrorist and President of Pakistan has never pardoned such terrorists and should not in future.
ReplyDeleteCourts in Pakistan enjoy full freedom and they have given Sarbajeet singh the right to defend himself. When a case has been decided by the supreme court of Pakistan,how a man can interfere the verdict.
Moreover, if you are really a human rights activist why you did not speak in the case of Kasab? Sir, please be impartial.lives of Lahorites are as precious a those of Mumbai victims.
In a country where Hafeez Saeed enjoys freedom, it isn't hard to imagine how free the courts are.
ReplyDelete//Be that as it may, he has already spent over 21 years on death row, where one does not know when he may be hanged. This is enough to drive any one mad. I sincerely urge you to show mercy and excercise your power of pardon in his case.//
ReplyDeleteCan the same be applied for the trio convicted in Rajiv case ?
Let us hope for some impartial statements like this!
respected Hon'ble justice katju,
ReplyDeletei as an advocate feel that as a justice on criminal side you passed some of the best judgments for example on retracted confession.
i am seeing that you are commenting on one and all and when your comments are considered then they always have some or usually a lot of merit. however i see no real comment on judicial accountability. in india is it not a truth that our courts have failed completely in the concept of speedy justice.
is it not true that the same courts overburdened for poor peoples hearing are repeatedly having quick and long hearing for rich, powerful and bigger people for example bail hearings of sukhram, hearing of shibu sorain coal minister, salman khan, sanjeev nanda, etc. as a former hon'ble justice is it not your duty to first comment on this thing. hoping for response.
adv. manish kumar khanna
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ReplyDeletesuperb
ReplyDeleteRespect katju hon 'ble justice,
ReplyDeleteI as a advocates think as a judicial criminal side you passed some of the best judgment, such as the withdrawal of the confession.