Campaigners up heat on death penalty

CHENNAI: The campaign to save the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case picked up pace on Monday. Lawyers, students and journalists extended their support to three women advocates on a fast for the fourth day. They are demanding that the death sentence for the three men be reduced to a life term. While college students gathered at the venue of the fast rent the air with slogans against capital punishment, others, including those from the law college, tried to hold a rally from Panagal Maligai to Raj Bhavan. The police stopped them midway at Saidapet. Hundreds of students from Loyola College also staged a protest.In Delhi, five students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Delhi University’s Ananda Selvam (advocate, Supreme Court), Jagadeesan (CIL, JNU), Amudhini (BA, Political Science, DU), Lenin D Vinober (faculty of law, DU), Mritunjay (PhD student, DU ) sat on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar “to ensure justice to the trio.” Many Tamil students joined them. CPI leader D Raja and professors from the universities visited the site and extended their support.The Madras High Court Advocates’ Association, meanwhile, decided to back noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani as he fights the case for Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan in the HC on Tuesday. Several supporters are expected to gather in the court complex then.