Afzal Guru’s case was perhaps not correctly decided: P Chidambaram

At a time when a controversial event organised by a group of JNU students in support of executed terrorist Afzal Guru has unleashed a political storm in the country, former Home Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has raised serious doubts over the degree of his involvement in the 2001 Parliament attacks.

In an interview, published on Thursday, to The Economic Times, Chidambaram had said, “I think it is possible to hold an honest opinion that the Afzal Guru case was perhaps not correctly decided.”

During the interview, the Congress veteran also referred to the ongoing JNU row and the slapping of sedition cases against five students for organising the Afzal Guru event and said, ”The opinion that Afzal Guru’s case was wrongly decided by the court is not anti-national so it is outrageous to slap sedition charges against the students.”

Importantly, former Home Minister’s comments come at a time when the JNU controversy has divided the whole nation with some calling for the urgent release of the five sedition-charged students, while some demanding strict action against them.

Afzal Guru was convicted by the Supreme Court of India in the 2001 Parliament attack that led to the killing of six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel and all 5 Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists.

He was executed on February 9,  2013 during the UPA-2 government after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition.

Speaking on the issue, Chidambaram said, ”It was not possible for him to raise doubts over the court’s judgement while being in the government.”

He was the Finance Minister at the time when Afzal Guru was hanged.