NEW DELHI, Nov 21:
President Pranab Mukherjee has returned seven mercy petitions, including that of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru, for consideration of the Union Home Ministry.
Official sources said it was a normal procedure for the President to refer all pending mercy petitions for consideration to a new Home Minister after he takes charge.
Since Shinde took charge as a Home Minister on August 1, the seven mercy petitions, including that of Guru’s, were sent to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for consideration, they said.
All these seven mercy petitions were earlier sent to the President, incorporating the concerned State Government’s opinion and the Home Ministry’s recommendation, for final disposal.
Both the Delhi Government and the Home Ministry had recommended that Guru’s mercy petition, filed by his wife, be rejected by the President, the sources said.
Apart from the seven, five other mercy petitions of different convicts are being processed by the Home Ministry.
The sources said two other mercy petitions are pending for consideration by the President.
As the Opposition questions the Government over delay in executing the 2001 Parliament terror attack case convict Afzal Guru, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today said his file would not be kept pending for long.
“Afzal Guru’s file will not be kept pending for long. I will clear Afzal Guru’s file within 48 hours of its receipt,” Mr Shinde told reporters here.
Answering a query, Mr Shinde also denied that the highly secretive decision to hang Ajmal Kasab was taken during the Congress Core Group meeting held recently.
“Even UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was not aware of the Government’s decision,” he said while ruling out working under any kind of pressure to execute the terrorists on death row.
Mr Shinde said early disposal of Kasab’s file by President Pranab Mukherjee led to his execution this morning.
Meanwhile, calls for speedy hanging of 2001 Parliament attack death row convict Afzal Guru grow louder after the execution of Ajmal Kasab today with opposition BJP leading the charge.
Congress general secetary Digvijay Singh also wanted the Government to “expedite” the decision on the issue of
Afzal Guru, who was sentenced to death in 2004.
“What about Afzal Guru, who attacked Parliament, our temple of democracy, in 2001 ? That offence predates Kasab’s heinous act by many years,” BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
On Kasab’s hanging, BJP President Nitin Gadkari said it had been delayed and asked why Guru had not been sent to the gallows yet.
“Kasab has been hanged. But it has taken a lot of time. I want to ask the UPA Government why Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru has not been hanged even 10 years after the incident…. Will this Government implement the Supreme Court verdict on Afzal Guru. This Government should clarify,” Gadkari said at a rally in Delhi.
He also accused Congress of doing vote bank politics.
Welcoming the execution of Kasab, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh hoped the Government would now pursue the case against the handlers in Pakistan as also expedite the decision on Guru.
“I welcome it. Now the Government of India should pursue the case against the handlers in Pakistan. They should expedite the decision on Afzal Guru,” Singh said. Seven people were killed in the Parliament attack during which five militants were also eliminated.
The Afzal issue has been hanging fire for years and a subject matter of intense political controversy.
Welcoming the execution of Kasab by describing it as “a correct step”, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Guru should also be executed.
“What should have happened has happened,” Parrikar told reporters in Panaji.
“The Centre has taken a correct step, but what about Afzal Guru?” he said, adding that those who work against the nation cannot be treated like guests.
“Government finally had the courage (to hang Kasab). Now they should also do it for Afzal Guru,” he commented.
A group of Shiv Sena workers while raising ‘Vande Mataram’ slogans outside the Yerawada jail hailing the hanging of Kasab, demanded that similar justice be meted out to Guru.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain demanded that Guru be hanged soon to send across a strong message to the terrorists and instill a sense of fear in them.
Smita Salaskar, wife of slain encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar who fell victim to the bullets of terrorists during the Mumbai carnage, hoped Guru would also be “executed soon.” (Agencies)
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