LONDON – Sundip Meghani, an Indo-British labour councillor from Beumont Leys in the East Midlands, is supporting a campaign seeking to reinstate the death penalty that was abolished in 1965.
Meghani, a solicitor and a member of the Leicestershire Police Authority, has endorsed the campaign that is likely to be debated in the House of Commons if secures the backing of 100,000 signatures.
Councillor Barbara Potter, another member of the authority, is also backing the campaign seeking death penalty for people who kill children or police officers.
Meghani said he backed the reintroduction of capital punishment for people who have killed more than once.
He told the local media, “I would have no compunction in using the death penalty on someone who kills multiple times, such as the recent massacre in Norway. It’s a complicated issue but I’m in favour of capital punishment in some circumstances.”
He added, “I think it may be wrong to restrict the death penalty solely to the murderers of children and police, because that gives some lives more value than others. But multiple killers should be eligible for execution.”
The petition seeking death penalty is to be launched on the government’s new e-petition website. If the e-petition on its website collects 100,000 signatures, it will trigger a formal debate in the House of Commons and vote in parliament.
Labour MP Keith Vaz (Leicester East) is reported to be against bringing back capital punishment, while Priti Patel, Conservative MP, said, “it’s about time the public had a greater say on the issues that we debate.”
