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You erred on Afzal, academics write to Indian
President
Thursday February 14, 2013 07:53:29 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi: Over 200
academics, writers, artists and filmmakers have written to
President Pranab Mukherjee saying that he erred over the hanging
of Afzal Guru and expressed deep "anguish and outrage".
In the letter submitted to the president Wednesday, they said: "We
believe that you made a grave error in rejecting the mercy
petition."
"If you had perused the trial court records and the lengthy
documentation put together over the years by lawyers and civil
rights activists, or even the Supreme Court judgment which
sentenced Afzal to death, you would have known that his guilt was
never established beyond reasonable doubt," the letter said.
"We write to you in deep anguish, despair but in outrage as well.
Afzal Guru was hanged on Saturday (Feb 9) in secrecy. We have been
told - after the hanging - that you rejected the mercy petition
filed by Guru's wife Tabassum on Feb 3," they said.
The letter claimed that as in life, Guru was denied his legal
rights in his death. "Sir, every convict whose mercy petition has
been rejected by the president, is entitled yet to a last resort."
"The convict has the constitutional right to file a judicial
review or a delay petition, in the high court and the Supreme
Court, to seek commutation of the death sentence," the letter
said.
"Under the law, Afzal Guru may have lived still despite your
rejection of the mercy petition, had he, his family and lawyers
been informed of the rejection of the mercy petition. But perhaps
fearing precisely this, the state whose head you are, sir, chose
to execute him in secrecy," it said.
The academics asked for an explanation for the urgency in
execution of Afzal Guru. "The Indian state must explain why it
displayed such urgency in executing Afzal before those others
whose mercy petitions your office has earlier rejected."
Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail Feb 9 for his role in the Dec
13, 2001, parliament attack.
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