Afzal's execution may be delayed

The hanging of Parliament attack convict may not take place on Oct 20 as his family has filed a mercy plea.

The execution of Afzal Guru may not take place on October 20 as scheduled as his family filed a mercy petition with President Kalam in the midst of the raging controversy over a reprieve for the Parliament terror attack convict.

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This follows the Home Ministry receiving a copy of the mercy plea from the Rashtrapati Bhawan for scrutiny of all the aspects before it gives its opinion to the President, who has to decide whether to grant him clemency, sources said.

The Delhi government and the authorities in Tihar jail, where the execution is slated for October 20, have been informed about the receipt of the mercy petition.

The sources declined to say how long the process of examining the petition would take.

The development came on a day when Afzal's wife and aged mother approached Kalam seeking commutation of the death sentence even as the families of the victims of the terror attack on Decemeber 13, 2001 also met the President to campaign against any relief to him.