Capital Punishment Not a Deterrent: Javed Akhtar on Kathua Verdict

Here’s what Javed Akhtar had to say.

Javed Akhtar voices his thoughts on the Kathua rape-murder case.

On Monday, a Special Court in Pathankot convicted six people for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua last year. Many Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter to voice their opinion on the same. During an event in Mumbai, veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar too was questioned about the verdict. Here’s what he said:

“I heard it on television that those people who are responsible for that inhuman and barbaric act have been given life sentence. I also heard that some people were disappointed with the verdict because they thought that these people deserve capital punishment. But honestly speaking, I don’t have clear cut ideas about capital punishment and whether it is right or wrong.”

Javed Akhtar

He further expressed his own opinion on capital punishment. According to Javed, capital punishment is not a deterrent of crime.

Javed said that, “One thing I am sure about is that capital punishment is not a deterrent of crime because where people have banned capital punishment, the crime has not increased and in countries where provision of capital punishment is there, the crime hasn't reduced. So, it is not a deterrent."

He further spoke about the shortcomings of life imprisonment. Javed said that he did not believe in life imprisonment, specially if the same person might be allowed to “walk out freely after two or three years.”

"I have no idea whether they should have been given capital punishment or life imprisonment is good enough, but at the same time, I must express my apprehension that we have seen many times in our society that somebody who has committed a heinous crime gets life imprisonment and after two or three years, you realise the person has been released on one ground or the other and then he or she lives happily ever after,” said the veteran writer.

“So, I hope life imprisonment is good enough but they shouldn’t be having these privileges where the same person will be walking out freely after two or three years.”

Javed Akhtar

Here’s what other Bollywood celebs had to say about the Kathua verdict:

(With inputs from IANS)