Srinagar, May 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday that law should be allowed to take its course in the mercy petition case of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
In an exclusive interview to Delhi-based news channel CNN-IBN Omar said that media or political trial of Afzal case should not be carried out. “That question should be asked from the Law Department and the Government of India. My only point is that we have some legal system and that legal system has certain checks and balances and it is important that those balances are fully carried out. Any person who has been given the death row has every right to knock on multiple doors, the last door being the President of India,” Omar replied when asked about his views on Afzal’s mercy petition.
“It’s unfortunate that while you have 29 people on the death row, the media seems to be only interested in 29th individual not the 28 before him. This seems to be more like a trial by media than a trial by judiciary. There is almost like some sort of political move  that is being made to either hang him or not. My only issue is that the law must hold its own course. Whatever doors are available to any death row individual should be made available to Afzal Guru also. Subsequently whatever law decides that has to be carried out,” he said.
He also remained non-committal on whether Afzal hanging would lead to a backlash in the Kashmir Valley and said that he won’t react on it.
“Should that question (the reaction in Kashmir if Afzal is hanged) arise between the Home Ministry and state government we will share our input,” he said.
His comments come a day after the Delhi government said that Afzal should be hanged but warned of the law and order implications if the sentence was executed.
Afzal’s mercy petition file was sent back by the Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna to the Delhi government on Tuesday night with the comment that the riders were vague with the government sending it back with its explanation on Wednesday afternoon.
Sources have told CNN-IBN that Delhi government stood by the Supreme Court verdict that Afzal’s was an act of terror and that it merits death by hanging.
Meanwhile, the BJP has accused the Delhi government of taking a soft stand on the Afzal case. BJP workers on Wednesday protested against the delay in hanging Afzal to death and chanted slogans against the Delhi government.
Delhi Police had to use water cannons to disperse the protestors near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

AFZAL FILE GOES BACK AND FORTH
PTI adds from Delhi: The file on Afzal Guru, sentenced to death in Parliament attack case, went back and forth Wednesday within Delhi government with the Chief Minister unambiguously backing the capital punishment but at the same time asking the Centre to take care of the law and order situation while carrying out the execution here.
The Delhi Government sent the file of Guru’s mercy petition back to Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna after incorporating some “minor clarifications” as sought by him.
The Lt Governor had sent back the file yesterday seeking more clarification over the remark of the Delhi Government, which had backed the death sentence for Guru but with a rider that the law and order implications should be closely examined while carrying out his execution.
“We have sent back the file after making some minor clarifications. They (LG’s office) sought some clarification from our side and we have incorporated those,” a top source in Delhi government told PTI.
Khanna had categorically asked Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to clarify whether her government fully supports the carrying out of the execution.
“Yes, the Delhi government fully supports the hanging of Afzal Guru but wants the Centre to take care of the implications of the law and order situation while carrying out the execution,” the source said quoting the notings in the file.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 19 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 19 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 IST