Soumya murder case: VS Achuthanandan, M A Baby resent death penalty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The differences of opinion in the ruling CPM over capital punishment have  come into the open with  politburo member M.A. Baby and senior leader V.S. Achuthanandan coming up against it, even as the state government is planning to file a curative petition in the Supreme Court  to get Govindachamy pronounced guilty of murder in   the Soumya case. Law Minister A.K. Balan, who  said  that the government would ensure noose for the criminal, left for Delhi on Saturday to hold talks with senior lawyers to seek their opinions on filing a review petition in the case.

Mr  Baby told reporters in Delhi that he stayed firm in his stance against death penalty. The government would file the review petition to ensure that murder charge was slapped on the accused. However, there was no need for death penalty, he said. Mr  Achuthanandan, who expressed his stand against death penalty, said that it was natural for the people to rise up and protest against such heinous crimes. Mr Balan reiterated  that there  was no need to mix up the stand of the party with that of the state government. “The LDF government would go to any extent  to ensure that the accused got capital punishment.  In this case, I feel that the death sentence should be issued a hundred times,”  Mr Balan told reporters.