Death sentences should be executed without delay: Nikam

Panaji, Mar 1 (UNI) Noted criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam today urged Constitution ammendment so that in case a mercy petition was not disposed within six months, it should be deemed as rejected.

''Death penalty, to be deterrent, must be executed without delay and therefore, necessary constitutional amendment is required to ensure this,'' Mr Nikam said.

Mr Nikam was speaking at the G R Kare College of Law, Margao, after inaugurating a seminar on ''Crime Prevention and Criminal Jurisprudence''.

The prevailing extradition proceedings had been causing inordinate delay in getting culprits booked and punished for the crimes committed by them, and hence, there should be an international forum and international co-operation to simplify the procedures, he added.

''Crime is a calamity that not only India is fighting against, but the entire world is engulfed by it, and therefore, well considered global solution has to be found out to face it,'' he observed.

Mr Nikam opined that the country should have a stringent law against terrorism but such a legislation should also have an in-built mechanism to prevent its misuse.

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