Delhi Govt Sends Afzal File Back to Lt Governor

Delhi government has sent back mercy petition of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna, said media reports.

The state government addressed the issues raised by the Lt Governor, reports said citing sources.

On Tuesday, Khanna had returned the file within hours of getting it seeking clarifications and asking the Delhi government to clearly specify whether it supported Afzal Guru’s hanging or not.

The state government has already agreed the judgement of the Supreme Court that Afzal’s was an act of terror and that it deserves death by hanging, reports said.

Currently, 30 mercy petitions are pending with the President and Afzal’s is one of them.

The Home Ministry had first sent a file for Delhi government’s opinion way back in 2006, but it has been hanging in the air since then.

Now public opinion is in favour of the fast hanging of Kasab and the Centre is under pressure to move fast.

A decision on Afzal’s hanging could prove a deterrent.

Reports said that Prime Minister’s Office is worried that hanging of Afzal could have repercussions in Jammu and Kashmir, which would dilute its vantage point on peace talks with Pakistan.

(Based on internet reports)