No decision on Afzal Guru yet: Chidambaram
August 12, 2011 15:57 IST
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday denied that any decision has been taken with regard to the mercy petition filed by Afzal Guru, who has been given death sentence in the Parliament attack case.
"The home ministry has sent the Afzal Guru's file to President Pratibha Patil with its comments only few days back. The President will have a look at the file before taking a decision. As of now no decision has been taken on Afzal Guru's fate," he said.
Talking about reports on Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor Dileep Padagoankar's remark that the file had been sent to the President at the wrong time, the home minister said, "I have seen the video footage aired on a television channel and have also spoken to him. He denied the comment and explained to me that he was giving his personal view on the death sentence. Like many others he too feels that there should be no death sentence."
Bhartiya Janata Party spokesman Prakash Javadekar demanded that Afzal Guru should be hanged without any further delay. He ignored the comment by separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who said that the valley would be up in flames if Afzal Guru was hanged.
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
