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Journalism of Courage
Exactly a month after Afzal Guru, sentenced to death for his role in the 2001 attack on Parliament, blamed the UPA Government for its indecision about his hanging, the Ministry of Home Affairs8217; reply to an inquiry under the Right to Information RTI Act shows his case has hardly moved an inch.
Guru had raised a few eyebrows when he claimed the suspense about his fate was killing him, and only BJP leader L K Advani could take the decision on his hanging.
His mercy plea was filed barely a fortnight before the date of his execution on October 20, 2006. Since then, Guru8217;s case has been pending.
Now, the ministry has, when asked under the RTI to provide details of clemency petitions pending as on December 1, 2006, produced a reply by Joint Secretary Judicial P K Seth that Guru8217;s case is 8220;under examination8221;.
8220;There are two cases of mercy petitions of condemned prisoners namely Mohammad Afzal, Delhi, and Gurmeet Singh, Uttar Pradesh, pending and under examination of this Ministry,8221; said the reply placed before the Central Information Commission CIC.
Further, Joint Secretary Shashi Bhushan submitted in a hearing before Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah on August 6 that the ministry had hardly any proposal 8220;under contemplation8221; to speed up the process of examining mercy petitions of condemned prisoners and expeditious forwarding of the Government8217;s recommendations to the President.
The CIC was hearing an appeal from Mumbai resident Vats Raj on the need to make the entire clemency process transparent in public interest.
