A day after home minister Sushilkumar Shinde was quoted as saying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came to know about Ajmal Kasab’s hanging from TV, government sources said Singh was in the loop and kept appraised at various stages. Government sources said Shinde had informed Singh about Kasab’s mercy plea being rejected soon after he examined the file on November 7. “He (Shinde) appears to have been misunderstood by the media,” a source said.

In fact, Kasab’s hanging was discussed by Singh and Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan during the PM’s two-day visit to Mumbai on November 10-11. Sources said Chavan and Singh had a 45-minute meeting where Singh discussed Kasab’s execution and asked Chavan to take complete charge.