Though the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was ordered to be hanged in 2006, he continues to live another day thanks to criminal subversion of the rule of law. He may live another two years or more or even get some reprieve given the kind of spineless political leadership that we are blessed with. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that the law of the land will take its course not only invited scorn but a kind of distrust that the citizens are bound to have such loose talks come out from the highest in the echelon.
The law of the land had awarded death to Afzal. The parliament attack had almost brought India and Pakistan to war, with their respective armies staring at each other on the border, though the Big Brother (the US) played the referee in the hard ball game of politics.
In 2006 Afzal Guru filed mercy petition plea, apparently on the ground that he had an ailing mother and was the sole bread earner for the family. The mercy petition plea file was diverted to the Congress led Delhi government and the chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, did what she was asked to do by her bosses in the party, that to let the file gather dust in her home department. Then after four years, the file moved only to land up at the desk of the Lt. Governor Tejendra Khanna who is now "studying the document closely".
The home ministry had sent the file to examine the merits of the clemency plea, that is whether the claims made by the convict were true or not. However, Mrs Dikshit shocked the media by stating that one of her former chief secretary had noted that there would be law and order problem in Delhi if Afzal was executed. Such a comment by that bureaucrat, who would qualify to be an idiot of the highest degree, has been rewarded by Mrs Dikshit after his retirement by appointing him the special advisor for the Commonwealth Games. His new job is to just write letters to private companies carrying out various construction works in the capital for the Games, which is nothing but a loot of the taxpayers' money.
Why was the Delhi government studying the genuineness of the Supreme Court verdict awarding Afzal the death punishment is baffling. It was not the mandate. It just had to go into the merits of the mercy petition. Now, Mr Khanna is studying the 75-page verdict of the Supreme Court. Is he qualified enough to examine the verdict of the Supreme Court. Does he have the mandate to review the verdict of the highest judiciary in the country?
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Obdulla has been making statements as if the principle of management schools of LIFO (Last In First Out) of FIFI (First in First Out) applies on the 30 convicts who are on death rows and are awaiting disposal of their respective mercy petition pleas. He should rise above from making such stupid statements.
Lastly, the President of India, which is a rubber stamp position for all the practical purposes, can be a little active in disposing off the files at her table or rather should prod the home ministry to clear the files concerning her at the earliest. She being the Constitutional head must ensure that the rule of law is not subverted for petty gains of spineless and brainless politicians.
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