Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Kasab was rightly hanged) that was published in Newsband

Kasab was rightly hanged

Kasab has been the face of evil for millions of Indians. He took part in a monstrous plot against the people of India and Mumbai, killed innocent people with abandon, and showed no remorse for his actions. Hence he was rightly executed, although late.

Some call this an act of vengeance since Kasab was neither the architect of 26/11 nor its strategic mastermind; the men who indoctrinated and controlled him remain safe in Pakistan. It is true that Kasab was not the mastermind but by hanging him to death an example had to be set to those elements who intend to become terrorist in the future.

 In the United States, with its highly-functional criminal justice system, new forensic techniques have shown dozens of innocent men were executed. But in this case, Kasab’s guilt was proven well beyond even unreasonable doubt. The absence of the death penalty in, say, France and the United Kingdom has not made these two nations softer in their ability to combat terror than the U.S. So why should India have been soft towards Kasab?

The question is not why Kasab was hanged? The question is why did it take four years to hang him?

The set of miscreants who attacked Taj Mahal Hotel on 26/11 knew well enough that surviving the mission would be a thing impossible. They were prepared to embrace death post completion of their heinous task. Hence Kasab had to die.

Of course, hanging a killer will not bring back life to the killed, but it will set an example to those terrorists who intend to indulge in mass killing. As much as the man who hanged, the masterminds that orchestrated the crime, must equally pay. If Kasab was not hanged it would be injustice to those innocent whose lives were cut short.

If Kasab was pardoned he would not have changed. Yes, we have to abolish capital punishment. But in the case of Kasab, he deserved it. Death penalty should be abolished in many cases. However, the law as it now stands allows the death penalty in rare cases as in the Kasab case.

If the laws of the country dictate that Kasab has to be executed, so be it; Death penalty for a murderer is not a quid pro quo. It is meant to be only a reminder to prospective murderers about what awaits them after their dastardly acts.