President rejects mercy pleas of murder convicts

President Pratibha Patil has rejected the mercy petition of two murder convicts-Khalistani terrorist Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar and Mahender Nath Das of Assam.

While Das’s plea was rejected last month, Bhullar?s mercy was denied on Wednesday.

A trial court sentenced Bhullar to death on August 25, 2001 for plotting terror attacks on Punjab SSP Sumedh Singh Saini in 1991 and the then Youth Cong president M S Bitta in 1993. Several people were killed in the attacks.

Mahender Nath was given death for murdering one Hara Kanta Das.

The date of hangings will now be fixed by the execution court.

This move by the President is seen to pave way for execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

A native of Sopore in Kashmir valley, Guru was convicted of masterminding the on Dec 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament in which all the attackers and nine security personnel were killed.

The Supreme Court sentenced him to death in 2004.

The sentence was scheduled to be carried out on 20 October 2006. But Afzal was given a stay of execution and remains on death row.

His wife?s petition for mercy before the Supreme Court was rejected and another mercy petition remains pending before the President.