Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday said he would take a decision on the mercy plea of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru after the winter session of Parliament is over. He also said so far there was no request either from Ajmal Kasab’s family or Pakistan to hand over the body of the Mumbai terror attack case convict who was hanged last month. His body was buried inside the jail premises.
“The [Afzal Guru’s mercy petition] file was sent to the President for consideration. But the President sent back to me seven [mercy petition] cases [including that of Afzal Guru] When Parliament session is over, I will look into it. As and when the [Afzal Guru’s] file comes to me, I will consider it carefully and take a decision,” Mr. Shinde told journalists.
Afzal Guru was sentenced to death in the 2001 Parliament attack case.
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To a query on the demand to remove the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Shinde said the controversial law would not be withdrawn until the situation in the State was completely peaceful. “It cannot be withdrawn unless it [the State] is quiet and calm.”
Mr. Shinde also pointed out that there was an increase in infiltration attempts from across the border into J&K. “Infiltration has increased. We are worried ...we are watchful in all sectors.”
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Mr. Shinde said soon there would be a breakthrough on the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) issue. He was in talks with the Chief Ministers who were opposing it. “I have been talking to the Chief Ministers... soon you will get [the] result.”
The government had deferred the operationalisation of the NCTC, a pet project of the former Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, following strong protests from non-Congress Chief Ministers — Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu) and Narendra Modi (Gujarat).
Telangana issue
On statehood for Telangana, he said the government would hold an all-party meet on the issue on December 28. “Though Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had requested postponing it, I have decided to meet party leaders on December 28. YSR Congress [formed by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, rebel Congress leader and son of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy) will also be invited for the meeting.”