The controversial resolution for clemency to the Parliament attack convict, Afzal Guru, shall come up for discussion in the state assembly on September 29.
Whether it is clemency for Rajiv Gandhi killers or Afzal guru or Bhullar; the motive behind this 'clemency' is same -- vote bank politics. The punishment whether life term, death sentence etc needs to be carried out, says Varad Varenya.
A torrent of issues ranging from price rise to demand for dismissal of Mayawati government and immediate execution of Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru drowned the second day of the Monsoon session of Parliament on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday questioned the secular credentials of the Congress and accused it of appeasing terrorists and engaging in a loot of the nation through 'scores of scandals'.
After the Congress suggested that the BJP chief should be referred to a "psychiatric facility" for his remarks on Afzal Guru's hanging, Nitin Gadkari retaliated saying he understood their compulsions and hence was "forgiving" them from the core of his heart.
The Harkat-ul-Jihadi email has given a new twist to the Delhi high court blast. It is now being claimed that this outfit which operates out of Bangladesh had carried out these blasts in order to protest the hanging of Afzal Guru. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
The Central Information Commission has directed the Lieutenant Governor's office to make public the reasons for delay in deciding the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
The disclosure of file notings on the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru may prejudicially affect country's sovereignty and integrity, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said. The Ministry rejected an RTI application seeking file notings on the petition, citing "safety and security concern." It said the petition is under examination in the Ministry as comments from Delhi government are "still awaited" on the matter.
"The charge sheet is in the process of being finalised and is likely to be filed soon."
The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre's response on a plea by Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru for transfer to a prison in Jammu and Kashmir from Tihar jail.
With BJP president Nitin Gadkari refusing to take back his Afzal Guru 'son-in-law of Congress' remark, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said some decency was expected in comments by political leaders.
With the decision on his mercy petition prolonging, Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru has moved an application in Supreme Court seeking early disposal of his case, saying solitary confinement was worse than death.
With questions being raised over the delay in clearing the mercy petition file of death row convict Afzal Guru, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday said it took longer time to take a decision on the issue because of its sensitive nature.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Friday that the Union home ministry would decide on the file pertaining to Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mercy petition.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday said she was not aware of any letter sent by the Union home ministry seeking her government's comments on the mercy petition filed by Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
The RSS has accused Congress-led UPA of dilly-dallying over the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to appease the minority community.
Charging the Centre with appeasing minorities for electoral gains, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Saturday called for a nationwide agitation to highlight the 'oppression of Hindus'."On one hand, the government is not executing death sentence to Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and on the other it is torturing an innocent person like Sadhvi Pragya Singh, who has been falsely implicated in the Malegaon blast case," VHP leader Venkatesh Abdev said.
In a decision that could lead to a final view on the clemency petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, Home Minister P Chidambaram has recommended to the President commutation of the death sentence of a prisoner in Tamil Nadu.
Charging him with 'lying' on the issue of detention centres for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and equating the Sarabjit case with that of Afzal Guru, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday demanded an apology from Home Minister Shivraj Patil, failing which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must sack him from the Council of Ministers.
Former Delhi University lecturer SAR Gilani was on Saturday granted bail by a Delhi court in a sedition case related to an event conducted at the Press Club last month.
Allegations against ex-Delhi university lecturer SAR Gilani, arrested under sedition charges in connection with a Press Club event in New Delhi, are "grievous" and whatever he has purportedly said is against the country, the police told a Delhi court on Friday.
Chomsky along with 86 other academicians had last week condemned "the culture of authoritarian menace that the present government in India has generated".
The action against Geelani, who was acquitted in the Parliament attack case, comes even as Delhi Police on Thursday registered a case of sedition in connection with a Tuesday event at JNU campus.
M Venkaiah Naidu launched a scathing attack on the Congress for calling statements of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi anti-national and saying he should be tried for treason. "What else can you expect from the Congress government but to launch treason proceedings against Modi and confer the Bharat Ratna on Mohammad Afzal Guru who was awarded death sentence for attacking Parliament in December 2001," he told rediff.com.
A probe has been ordered to find out how a television channel interviewed Mohammad Afzal inside Tihar jail. The move comes after director general of Tihar jail B K Gupta was pulled up by the Union home ministry.
In a bid to control the damage over continuing protests, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the security forces were not aware of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani's presence during the raid at his hideout in which he was killed.
Tabasum Guru, wife of Afzal Guru, set to be hanged on October 20 for his involvement in Parliament attack in 2001, on Tuesday filed a mercy petition with President A P J Abdul Kalam.
Forced to reschedule his nationwide rallies in the wake of security concerns, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's track record on tackling terrorism and asserted that his rallies will continue.
Parliamentarians Roger Godsiff and Jeremy Corbyn joined demonstrators of the South Asia Solidarity Group on Friday to urge President A P J Abdul Kalam to protect the 'human rights' of Afzal.
12 people, including five Delhi police personnel, were killed in the attack.
Responding to Leader of Opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani's demand for a decision before Wednesday, the anniversary of the attack, Patil said no deadline had been set in such cases earlier.
Speaking to UNI, Airport Director R K Singla said the security at airports were further strengthened. The passengers were being frisked and luggage thoroughly checked, he added.
Earlier, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma called Kashmir the pride of the nation and appealed to all stakeholders to invest in the tourism sector in the state.
Modi pointed out that it has been one year since the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence on Afzal Guru, for his involvement in the attack on Parliament, but the Congress has been protecting him. The chief minister was speaking at a well-attended election rally at Sola Road in Ahmedabad as part of his campaigning for the second phase of polling on December 16
Unfazed by the recent controversies, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi described the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre as the "real merchant of death".
Police has alleged that Kumar had incited the mob to shout anti-India slogans.
In a petition submitted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan last Saturday, Afzal's counsels N D Pancholi and Mukul Dube have sought to bring to Kalam's notice "a little known judgment of the SC concerning the powers of the President in respect of mercy pleas."
Intelligence inputs state that Pakistan-based terrorists could hijack an aircraft to Bangladesh to seek the release of Mohammed Afzal Guru.
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