No rapist hanged after 2005, says Anna Hazare

Expressing concerns over delays in meting out punishment in rape cases, veteran social crusader Kisan Baburao alias Anna Hazare on Monday said that the last time a rapist-cum-murderer was hanged was on Aug. 14, 2005 in West Bengal.

"Since then, not a single death penalty has been executed for any such convict given the death verdict in the country. Currently, there are 426 convicts awaiting execution," Hazare claimed, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"People have started feeling that the delays, obstacles and difficulties in getting justice through the system is itself an injustice. This is the reason for the mass support to the recent Hyderabad encounters. People now want that such criminals should be eliminated in such 'encounters'," Hazare said.IANS