Home ministry rejects Afzal Guru's mercy plea

The Union Home ministry has recommended death penalty for Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru in its report submitted to the President, sources said.

According to sources, Home Minister P Chidambaram forwarded the file to President Pratibha Patil after consulting Law Minister Veerappa Moily and seeking clearance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"Mercy petition filed by Tabassum, wife of the Parliament House attack convict Afzal Guru, should be rejected. Nature of the crime committed is heinous and he deserves no mercy," a ministry note said.

Guru was awarded the death sentence by a Delhi court on December 18, 2002 after being convicted of conspiracy to attack Parliament on December 13, 2001, waging war against the country and murder.

The death sentence was upheld by the Delhi high court on October 29, 2003 and the Supreme Court rejected his appeal two years later on August 4, 2005. A sessions court also fixed the date of his hanging on October 20, 2006 in Tihar jail.

Following this, Afzal filed a mercy petition with the President, who forwarded it to the home ministry for its comments. The home ministry had sent the file to the Delhi government's home ministry for its comments, as per the laid out procedure.

On May 18, 2010, the delhi government has backed the death sentence but added that there is a need to examine the implications of the law and order situation while carrying out the Supreme Court's verdict

Reacting to the development, main Opposition Bhartiya Janata Party said the decision was inevitable.

Speaking to rediff.com on Wednesday, party's senior vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "The government of India was forced to take the decision under pressure from the BJP and the people of the country, who felt strongly that Afzal Guru should not be pardoned," he said.

"Hanging of Afzal Guru is not related to just an individual. Hanging of Guru would send strong signals to the terrorists. Hanging him would be hanging the terrorism per say," he added.

Naqvi blamed the Delhi government and the central government for not taking up the issue seriously since 2005 when the Apex court confirmed his death sentence.

"While the Centre said they had sent 17 reminders to the Delhi government to take a firm stand on the mercy petition of Afzal Guru after the President returned it to the Home ministry to give a considered view on the subject matter, the Delhi government consistently denied having received any of them. It was only a couple of months ago that the Sheila Dikshit government finally took a decision and sent it for approval by Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna. He promptly returned the file asking some pertinent questions. Once he was satisfied only then the file was sent to the home ministry," Naqvi said.

Additional inputs: Agencies