Congress rejects demand for Shinde, Reddy resignations

New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) The Congress Party today rejected the demand of the BJP for the resignations of former Andhra Pradesh Governor Sushil Kumar Shinde and Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in connection with the Supreme Court order against the grant of pardon to a Congress MLA's husband who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case.

"The Supreme Court pronounced its verdict today. We are not aware of the facts and details of the case. We can react only after the facts are before us,"AICC Spokesman Jayanthi Natarajan told mediapersons. However, the allegation of the BJP was "politicaly motivated," she added.

Asked if the Congress concurred with the BJP that clemency should not be granted on political considerations and that execution of Mohammed Guru Afzal, the main conspirator of the 2001 Parliament attack case, should not be delayed, Ms Natarajan said "in the case of death penalty, the Constitution should be followed, no more and no less. There is a clear provision in the Consitution for death penalty." Earlier in the day, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia set aside the order of pardon granted by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh to Gowru Venkata Reddy convicted in a murder case.

Mr Shinde, now Union Minister for Power, was the Governor of Andhra Pradesh then.

The court ruled that since the President and Governors are the sole judges while exercising powers of remission of sentence, they must ensure that by granting pardon, public welfare is also served better.

UNI SH/YS VD VV1815