Delhi government discusses Afzal Guru’s plea
By IANSWednesday, May 19, 2010
NEW DELHI - The Delhi government Wednesday began discussions to reply to the additional clarifications Lieutenant Governor (LG) Tejendra Khanna has sought on the mercy petition of parliament terrorist attack convict Afzal Guru.
“The discussions are continuing and Guru’s file will soon be sent back to the LG Office,” an official source said.
The government Tuesday moved Guru’s file to Khanna after sitting on it for almost 4 years and despite getting 16 reminders from the union home ministry. But, Khanna’s office returned the file literally within minutes Tuesday evening, seeking more clarifications.
The government has not opposed the death sentence awarded to Guru but has expressed concerns of law and order in the wake of his execution.
Guru, a resident of Sopore in the Kashmir Valley, was found guilty of plotting the Dec 13, 2001, parliament attack by five terrorists and was sentenced to death by a trial court in December 2002. The Delhi High Court confirmed the death penalty in October 2003.
The Supreme Court in August 2005 upheld the capital punishment given to Guru for his role in the terror attack. Guru’s wife, Tabassum, filed a mercy petition to the president after the apex court’s verdict.
As per the laid down procedure, the president sought the home ministry’s views on the mercy petition in 2005.
The procedure on mercy petition also requires the home ministry to seek comments of the state government in whose jurisdiction the crime, for which the death penalty is awarded to the convict, has been committed.
