26/11 killer Ajmal Kasab sends mercy petition to the President

mangaloretoday.com/ CNN-IBN

Mumbai, Sept 18: The 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict Ajmal Kasab has sent his mercy petition to President Pranab Mukherjee. Kasab’s mercy plea has been filed through the Arthur road jailor to the President’s office. Kasab has been sentenced to death in the 26/11 case.

 

If executed, Kasab will be the 52nd person to be hanged in India since independence. Kasab has ahead of him people like Mohammed Afzal Guru, the terrorist condemned to the gallows for his involvement in the December 2001 Parliament attack case, awaiting the President’s decision on his mercy petition.

On August 29, the Supreme Court had confirmed the death penalty awarded to the LeT operative by the trial court and later upheld by the Bombay High Court.

A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and CK Prasad had dismissed the 25-year-old’s plea challenging his conviction and death sentence in the 26/11 case.

He was given a copy of the judgement earlier in September. When the terrorist, lodged in bomb-proof "anda cell" (egg shaped cell), was first informed about the apex court upholding his death penalty, Kasab did not appear shocked, a jail officer said.

Kasab and nine other Pakistani terrorists had landed in south Mumbai on November 26, 2008 after traveling from Karachi by sea and had gone on a shooting spree at various landmarks, killing 166 people, including foreigners.

While Kasab was captured alive, the other terrorists were killed by security forces.

According to the Home ministry’s fact-sheet on people on death row, a total of 29 mercy petitions involving 52 condemned prisoners, seeking pardon, under Article 72 of the constitution are still pending with the Central Government.

At least seven of the condemned prisoners - six from Uttar Pradesh and one from Tamil Nadu - have been able to survive for over 12 years as their mercy pleas have remained pending with Rashtrapati Bhawan since 1998.

Seven others, figuring in five other mercy petitions filed in 1999, have been able to survive for 11 years as the president is yet to take any decision on their mercy pleas.

Five condemned prisoners who filed their mercy petitions in 2000 and 25 other condemned prisoners who filed their mercy petitions between 2001-06 are also awaiting a decision from the president.

During the last decade (1990-2000), the president rejected seven mercy petitions and commuted the sentences of two, while in the previous decade (1980-89) out of 45 mercy petitions, 41 were rejected and four commuted.