The Hindu : PUCL plea to Singapore President

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 02, 2003

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National

PUCL plea to Singapore President

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI OCT. 1. The People's Union for Civil Liberties has urged the Singapore President, S.R. Nathan, to grant clemency to a migrant Indian worker who is to be executed there on October 3.

In a memorandum to Mr. Nathan, the PUCL (Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry) prayed that he pardon Arunprakash Vaithilingam, who, in an inebriated condition, stabbed and killed his co-worker and flat-mate, Lourdusamy Lenin Selvanayagam, also an Indian, in a quarrel, on December 22, 2001.

The PUCL drew the President's attention to certain "mitigating factors" in the case. It said that Vaithilingam had rushed the victim to a hospital when he realised that he had stabbed him with a kitchen knife. "Would this be the conduct of a person whose intention was to murder Lenin?" it asked.

The group pointed out that the Singapore High Court had held that the "quarrel was sudden". The accused also had no history of anti-social activities and a death sentence should take into account the criminality of the offender and his past record.

"While Arunprakash should be punished for his act, the punishment should also reflect in measure the fact that his was not a premeditated or planned act to kill Lenin in the first instance," the memorandum said.

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