I am always serious, Sir, but others take me lightly. For myself, I am always serious, Sir, but I am always misunderstood. Those who have been in prison will bear me out when I say that transportation for life or detention for life is a much greater punishment than the death sentence. Death sentence gives glory to the recipient of that death sentence after the execution of that sentence. That glory should not be given to a criminal. Death sentence whether in non-political cases or political cases gives a sort of added affection from his relatives to the man who has been an ordinary villain, who might not have been remembered because of his villainy, who might have been hated by his family, when he is executed. The relations of the man might feel otherwise that the man has been rightly punished, but the moment the death sentence is executed, the sympathy of his family and friends goes to that criminal. Do you think that crime will be deterred by this sort of punishment? By this sort of punishment only the praise, the commendation and sympathy of the family goes to the person who has been executed. After all, we are followers of mahatma Gandhi, who had adopted to some extent the teachings of Jesus Christ. You must not take eye for an eye. You must not take a tooth for a tooth. You must not take a life for a life. That should be the feeling of modern India; that should be the feeling of Gandhian India. I think we have made a mistake–which we might correct afterwards–in not abolishing the death sentence by our Constitution.
