Govt downplays Padgaonkar disfavouring death penalty to Afzal

New Delhi: The Centre, which has recommended to the President to reject Afzal Guru’s clemency petition, today downplayed the statement of its interlocutor on Kashmir, Dileep Padgaonkar, who reportedly disfavoured death sentence to the Parliament attack mastermind. Responding to questions on the issue, Home Minister P Chidambaram said Padgaonkar had told him that he had not made any such statement and that the Goverment of India was bound to act by Constitution and law. [caption id="" align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The government downplayed the statement of its interlocutor on Kashmir, Dileep Padgaonkar. Reuters”][/caption] “He (Padgaonkar) called me to say he did not make any such statement. He said his personal view was that death penalty should not be given to anyone. He is against death penalty. A number of people are against the death penalty. He denied the statement. So as far as I am concerned, there is no issue,” Chidambaram told reporters at the GoM Media briefing. Asked about Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani warning the Centre of serious consequences if Afzal Guru was executed, the Home Minister said, “That is Geelani’s view. I am bound to act according to the Constitution and the law.” Replying to a host of questions on the issue, the Home Minister said that the Government of India has forwarded the mercy petition of Afzal Guru to the President with recommendations (that the plea should be rejected). “It’s only when the President takes a decision, we know what the decision is….there is no decision on mercy petition yet,” he added. Replying to questions on President Pratibha Patil rejecting the mercy petitions of Rajiv Gandhi assassination accused, the Home Minister said, “We are in the process of informing the state governments (concerned)” about the decision.