Nirbhaya’s father on Saturday said senior lawyer Indira Jaising should be “ashamed” of suggesting pardon for the four death row convicts in his daughter’s gangrape case and said his family isn’t as “large-hearted” as Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
He also demanded an apology from Ms. Jaising, who is known for her stand against capital punishment.
In a tweet on Friday, Jaising said while she fully identifies with the pain of Nirbhaya’s mother, she urges her “to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn’t not (did not) want the death penalty for her“.
Nirbhaya’s father said this is a “wrong message.”
“She (Indira Jaising) is a woman herself. She should be ashamed of her comments and apologise to Nirbhaya’s mother,” he told PTI .
“We have been fighting the case for seven years. We are common people and not politicians. Humara dil Sonia Gandhi ji jitna bada nahi hai (We are not as large-hearted as Sonia Gandhi ),” he said.
“Such mentality is responsible for the rising number of rapes,” he added.
Nirbhaya’s father said his wife held similar views.
He said they had seen Ms. Jaising in court but never interacted with her.
“Why did she have to say something and face insult when she has nothing to do with the case,” he asked.