Mumbai, April 15 (Inditop) Mercy petitions in India are examined through well established procedures resulting in a delay in implementing death sentences, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said here Wednesday.
Disclosing that there were 28 death sentences pending, Chidambaram said at a press conference that Afzal Guru, convicted in December 2001 attack on parliament, was 22nd in the list.
Three others, besides Afzal Guru, were awaiting death in terrorism cases.
Countering the Bharatiya Janata Party’s criticism that the Congress was vacillating on implementing the death sentence on Afzal Guru, Chidambaram asked: “Why didn’t the BJP carry out the death sentence?… Because, in India, mercy petitions are examined through well established procedure.”
He also accused the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of “slashing the recruitment of IPS (Indian Police Service) officers”.
The “mysterious slashing” took place when L.K. Advani was the home minister, he said.
Only 36 IPS officers a year were recruited between 1998 and 2001, the minister claimed.
“Today, 130 IPS officers are recruited every year.”
