New Delhi: On the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mercy petition, the Delhi government has once again played safe by passing the buck to the Lt Governor's office and the Union Home Ministry. It has said that though it believes that no mercy should be shown to the Parliament attack plotter, the final decision rests with the Lt Governor (L-G) of Delhi and the Union Home Ministry.
This comes two days after the Delhi government sent Afzal's file back to the L-G.
"The Supreme Court's order to hang him will prevail. On the mercy petition filed by the wife of Afzal Guru, the final decision rests with the Home Ministry and the L-G," Sheila Dikshit said on Friday.
Sources tell CNN-IBN that the Delhi government has reiterated its earlier stand in its reply that Afzal committed an act of terror and deserved to be hanged.
CNN-IBN had earlier shown how the Home Ministry had sent 16 reminders in the last 4 years to the state government to move the file.
After lying in limbo for long, the file and fate of Afzal Guru is caught in a hectic to-and-fro between the Delhi government and the Lt Governor's office.
Government sources say that the Congress government is keen on sending the message that it's not dragging its feet on the Afzal issue. By doing so it hopes to make a dent in the Opposition's campaign against it.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is also believed to have replied that there could be some disturbance by anti-social elements in some parts of the city with substantial minority population.
On Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party took to the streets and attacked the government over its Afzal strategy. It alleged that the United Progressive Alliance government was worried about the political fallout of Afzal's hanging in his native state – Jammu and Kashmir.
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