The Hindu : India seeks clemency for youth on death row in Singapore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

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National

India seeks clemency for youth on death row in Singapore

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI June 7 . In a last-ditch effort to save the life of a 24-year-old Indian youth, who has been sentenced to death in a murder case in Singapore, the Government of India has written to the Singapore Government to show mercy to him and commute the death sentence into one of life imprisonment.

The Centre has also forwarded to the Indian High Commission in Singapore a request in this regard from the Tamil Nadu Government, along with the mercy petitions from the youth's parents and sisters addressed to the Singapore President. Hailing from Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu, the accused, V. Arunprakash, has a diploma in electrical and electronics engineering.

He went to Singapore in December 2000 and worked as a ship electrician for Geusima Industrial Services and was deployed to work at Keppel shipyard. The case of the prosecution was that on the night of December 22, 2001, Mr. Arunprakash stabbed his Indian room-mate, Lourduswamy Lenin Selvanayagam, with a knife resulting in his death.

In his statement to police, Mr. Arunprakash said during arguments the victim pushed him to the ground.

He then grabbed a knife and stabbed the victim in the heat of the moment.

He also said that he took the victim to hospital for treatment but the victim succumbed.

The Singapore High Court found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to death and on appeal the sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court. Shocked at the capital punishment awarded to their only son, S. Vaithilingam and Vasantha sent mercy petitions to the Singapore President seeking his intervention to save the 24-year-old boy from the gallows and to commute the death sentence.

Separate mercy petitions were also sent by the youth's sisters.

The parents sent a petition to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, seeking her immediate intervention.

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