Judgment

O.CHINNAPPA REDDY, J.:-"To be or not to be", is the question which Javed Ahmed Abdul Hamid Pawala has posed us. In connection with certain cruel and multiple murders the petitioner was convicted and sentenced to death by the learned Sessions Judge of Thane, on 6-2-1982. The High Court of Maharastra confirmed the sentence of death on 29/30-4-1982. An appeal preferred by the petitioner to this Court under Art. 136 of the Constitution was dismissed by us on 20-4-1983. (Reported in AIR 1983 SC 594). The petition for review was dismissed on 12-8-1983. A petition for clemency was also rejected by the President of India. The petitioner has filed the present writ petition under Art. 32 of the Constitution praying that in view of his tender age, his reformation in jail and the long lapse of time since the passing of the sentence of death on him, the execution of the sentence of death may be stopped and the sentence may be commuted to one of imprisonment for life. In his petition he has frankly confessed to the dastardly crimes committed by him. He has stated that he, now realises the enormity of what he has done and wants to atone and make good the injury inflicted upon society by h