Saudi King petitioned for pardoning Naushad

The Government has taken up with the Saudi Arabian authorities the issue of clemency for Naushad.

The Government has taken up with the Saudi Arabian authorities the issue of clemency for an Indian national who faced gouging out of his eye as ordered by a local court, the Rajya Sabha was assured on Wednesday.

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Minister of State for External Afairs E Ahmed, responding to the concern expressed by members in this regard, said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh had petitioned Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud to pardon Indian national Abdul Lateef Naushad whose eye had been ordered to be gouged out by the Dammam court.

Giving details, the Minister said on April 1, 2003, Naushad was involved in a dispute with a Saudi national in which the latter's eye was hurt -- subsequently, he lost his sight.

The Dammam Court, later, ordered -- in accordance with strict Islamic justice -- the gouging out of Naushad's right eye in line with the principle of "an eye for an eye"', Ahmed informed.

The matter had engaged the attention of the Government which had also petitioned the respective courts in Dammam and Riyadh, the Minister said.

Earlier, several members, including Messrs NK Premachandran (RSP), SS Ahluwalia (BJP), and V Narayansamy, PJ Kurien and Vayalar Ravi, raised the issue by way of a Special Mention.