Daily News & Analysis

NEW DELHI, Oct 20: By all indications, Mohammad Afzal will not be hanged on Friday, October 20, the date fixed by the court.

Sentenced to death in the 2001 Parliament attack case, Afzal’s mercy petition is pending with the President, who has asked the Centre for its advice.

With just one day left before the scheduled date of execution, sources said it would simply get postponed if no decision is taken.

The Union home ministry has asked the Delhi government for its opinion and a response is awaited, ministry sources said. As the government is in no hurry to take a view on the matter, the sources said Afzal could hang but at a later date.

There is pressure on the Centre to waive Afzal’s death penalty, both from opponents of capital punishment and from those who fear an outbreak of violence in Jammu and Kashmir after the execution, more so as the hanging has been scheduled for the last Friday of Ramzan.

Regarding the Supreme Court’s observation that clemency could not be granted on religious or political grounds, a home ministry official said it is a moot point whether it could be considered a mere ‘political’ matter if the hanging leads to a law and order problem.

Meanwhile, an AFP report said the Union law ministry has said that there is no “compelling reason” to stop Afzal’s hanging. The ministry’s advice came after President APJ Abdul Kalam sought the opinions of the law and home departments ahead of deciding on the mercy petition filed by the family of the condemned man.