By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi Lt. Governor Tejendra Khanna Friday forwarded parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s mercy petition to the union home ministry, nearly four years after Delhi government’s comment was sought on it.
Khanna, to whom the file was rushed May 19 by the chief minister’s office, sent it to the home ministry after “carefully studying” it and giving his “personal comments”, a source in the Raj Bhavan told IANS.
The source said that the Supreme Court judgment, confirming Guru’s conviction and award to him of death sentence for masterminding the terror attack on Parliament House Dec 13, 2001, has not been opposed in the file sent to the home ministry.
The Delhi government while sending its comment on Guru’s death sentence had supported the Supreme Court’s ruling on Guru, but expressed apprehension that law and order could be “disturbed” in the wake of his execution.
An official in the lt. governor’s office May 27 said the file was being “studied minutely and urgently”.
The city government was sitting over Guru’s file for almost 4 years and had got 16 reminders from the home ministry on the issue. It replied to the latest reminder in May, saying the matter was under “active consideration”.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit told reporters: “Whatever may be the state government’s comment on the matter, the final decision will be taken by the president.”
Guru, a resident of Sopore town in the Kashmir Valley, was found guilty of plotting the Dec 13, 2001, Parliament House attack 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 also upheld the capital punishment given to him 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.