Capital Punishment: Philosophy, Law and Justice

Department of Philosophy, Critique Ferozepur Chapter and Philosophical Society of the Dev Samaj College for Women, organized a Seminar on the theme “Capital Punishment: Philosophy, law and Justice” in the college campus. The seminar was chaired by veteran Lawyer and Chairman, Management Committee of Baba Farid Law College, Faridkot. In the seminar Students of the college Swati Gupta, Amandeep Kaur, Veerdavinder Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Amritpreet Kaur, Ramanpreet Kaur and Prabjeet Kaur collectively presented their well researched papers and argued to abolish death penalty. In the first session Dr. Madhu Prashar, principal of the college and students extended a warm welcome to the chairman, Baba Farid Law College. Swati Gupta in the first session highlighting the concept of Capital Punishment said that death penalty in any case cannot be stated as a just punishment as taking away any life cannot be justified. She further added that crime is a social problem and there should be more rigorous work in exploring ways to check and stop crime. There should be other modes of punishment other than the death penalty. Criminals should not be spared but hanging should not be seen as the only solution. Amandeep argued that in India we respect Gandhiji and his famous philosophy of Ahimsa ‘An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’ we cannot justify capital punishment. She said that capital punishment is a complex issue and even in the framework of punishment, we should go for reformatory punishments. The jails are even named as ‘Zila Sudhar Ghar’ by giving death penalty we take away all possibilities of reform. Veerdavinder and Amritpreet highlighting some cases published by the Amnesty International said that, Amnesty International has discovered that the sentence of capital punishment in many cases was discovered to be erroneous and in some cases even the convicts were executed. As it is an irrevocable punishment it should be stopped. Ramanpreet and Prabhjeet said that in the in the UN 110 nations voted in favour to abolish death penalty and there is a need that the issue of capital punishment must be debated world over as capital Punishment cannot be seen as the deterrent factor for the crimes. The country and its people have to work out more seriously in the welfare of its society as whole. Education is a field where a lot of work is to be done. Educational institutions have to take lead in inculcating the respect for human rights and human values in society. Even government has to play significant roles in dealing with the social and political issues in the country and work for prevention of crime. Chairperson of the seminar Inderjit Singh Sekhon supported the views of the speakers and said that women are more humane than men and they can change the society. They have to take lead and teach the world new lessons to stop crime. Dr. Prashar said that Law has its own complexities and it is difficult to comment on the ethics of capital punishment but it might have a deterrent effect. Dr. Ambuj Sharma of the Department of Philosophy moderated the seminar which was attended and actively participated by more than two hundred students of the campus. The students collectively appealed for the abolition of the death penalty.