Do away capital punishment: Ramadoss

Tindivanam, Feb 1 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder leader S Ramadoss today urged the centre to do away with capital punishment and flayed Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray for his alleged remarks against President A P J Abdul Kalam for not disposing of the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict and death row inmate Mohammed Afzal Guru.

Talking to newspersons at his Thailapuram garden residence here, Dr Ramadoss said even though there was no timeframe for deciding on clemency petitions, Mr Thackeray and some Hindutva outfits were alleging delay in disposing of the petition and execution of the death sentence of Guru for ''narrow political gains''.

He said the Shiv Sena chief deserved severe condemnation for making a disparaging remark against the President for ''delaying'' the disposal of Guru's clemency petition.

Dr Ramadoss said more than two dozens of clemency petitions were pending before the President and they were pending for more than a decade. In the case of Guru, it was not even a year, since clemency petition was filed on his behalf.

While no question was raised against the pendency of mercy petitions filed by others, ''Hindutva forces'' were raising a hue and cry about Guru's capital punishment, he said.

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