Afzal Guru's mercy petition sent to the President

02 June, 2011

The accused in the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack case, Afzal Guru's mercy petition will be sent to the President today for her reconsideration. Afzal, on a death row since 2004, was earlier saved as the Supreme Court had upheld the decision.

THE FATE of Afzal Guru, a convict in the infamous Parliament attack case, hangs in balance as the Union Home Ministry will file a report on Guru’s mercy petition. Along with Guru’s petition, the fate of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Murugan, Santhan and Arivu is also awaited as their petitions too have been filed for a final decision to be taken by the President.

The news was confirmed when Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram told the media in New Delhi on Wednesday that the government's report on the (Afzal Guru) case will soon be submitted. Guru was awarded a death sentence, and the Supreme Court had upheld the decision in 2004. On a death row ever since, the execution was upheld following a mercy petition, which was filed by his wife.

Chidambaram also added that in the fray are 31 more such cases of accused out of, which 19 of them filed to the President for reconsideration and decision on 11 such cases have been taken in the last two and a half years, more or less.
The reconsideration cycle comes into effect when the President’s office sends the case file of the accused involved.