'My daughter had a future too', mother of 4-year-old rape-murder victim asks SC to restore death penalty

A review petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against its April 19 judgment, which commuted the death penalty awarded to a man for rape and murder of about four-year-old girl, saying "every sinner has a future".

The plea filed by the mother of the victim through advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava contended, “My little daughter, who was deceitfully kidnapped, brutally raped and viciously murdered by Mohd Firoz, also had a future.”

The top court had commuted the death sentence, saying it is essential to give an opportunity to the offender to repair the damage caused, and to become a socially useful individual, when he is released from the jail.

The plea said, "The petitioner's three-year and eight-month old innocent daughter also had a future. However, she was deceitfully kidnapped, brutally raped and viciously murdered by the convict in the most brutal, diabolic, cruel, depraved and gruesome manner."

The plea contended that the petitioner and her deceased daughter will only get justice when the death penalty awarded to the accused Mohd Firoz will be restored.

In its judgement, the court had said, "One of the basic principles of restorative justice as developed by this court over the years, also is to give an opportunity to the offender to repair the damage caused, and to become a socially useful individual, when he is released from the jail."

The plea claimed the judgment seemed to have overlooked that the sentencing policy must be befitting to the nature of crime and deterrent with an explicit aim to make an example out of the evil-doer and a warning to those who are still innocent.