Phoolan Devi murder case: Rana pleads leniency
13 Aug 2014 5:32 AM IST
The lone convict Sher Singh Rana who killed Phoolan Devi, has made an accusation on police that he was falsely implicated in many cases after his arrest in 2001 in all of which he was acquitted later. He thus stated: ‘So it was a strategy to malign my image’. However, prosecution has sought death penalty and the court has fixed 14 August to announce the order on the sentence.
As soon as the argument on the sentence began, the prosecution said that Phoolan’s murder was pre-planned and done in a meticulous manner and the convict should be given death penalty for the heinous crime as a person like him is a threat to society. ‘We have three options for the convict — life sentence, death penalty and life sentence till death.
However, it is an offence of murder in which an MP was killed. Keeping in view the impact on society, I request the court to award death penalty,’ said the prosecution. To this, the court replied that ‘life term till death’ is not an option, as the Supreme Court has restricted it. However, Rana submitted before the court that his image has been tarnished by the police. ‘Before 2001, I was never arrested.
Only an Excise Act case was lodged against me, but I was acquitted in that case. On 27 July, 2001, I was arrested, in connection with the killing of Phoolan Devi, after which 4-5 false cases were lodged against me by the police. In some of these cases, the police later on told that I was not involved in the crime,’ said Rana, adding that in these 13 years (since his arrest in 2001), nobody can say that he has done anything wrong.
As soon as the argument on the sentence began, the prosecution said that Phoolan’s murder was pre-planned and done in a meticulous manner and the convict should be given death penalty for the heinous crime as a person like him is a threat to society. ‘We have three options for the convict — life sentence, death penalty and life sentence till death.
However, it is an offence of murder in which an MP was killed. Keeping in view the impact on society, I request the court to award death penalty,’ said the prosecution. To this, the court replied that ‘life term till death’ is not an option, as the Supreme Court has restricted it. However, Rana submitted before the court that his image has been tarnished by the police. ‘Before 2001, I was never arrested.
Only an Excise Act case was lodged against me, but I was acquitted in that case. On 27 July, 2001, I was arrested, in connection with the killing of Phoolan Devi, after which 4-5 false cases were lodged against me by the police. In some of these cases, the police later on told that I was not involved in the crime,’ said Rana, adding that in these 13 years (since his arrest in 2001), nobody can say that he has done anything wrong.
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