Bhullar’s mother meets Sonia

CHANDIGARH: Accompanied by a large number of Delhibased Sikhs, Upkar Kaur, mother of incarcerated Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, met AICC president and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi on Thursday and sought her help for clemency for Bhullar.
Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit led the delegation accompanied by Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna to express gratitude for pruning of black list of NRIs and to raise the issue of Indian citizenship for Afghani Sikhs. The meeting saw an emotional Upkar Kaur break down before Sonia Gandhi, describing how her family had suffered in the last three decades. The delegates were also carrying a legal opinion of noted advocate Ram Jethmalani, where in he had opined that the decision on a mercy petition after an eight-year long wait was ''unlawful'', because as per law such petitions should be decided within two years.
The DGMC would also file for review of mercy petition before the Delhi chief minister on behalf of Upkar Kaur soon, said Sarna. Meanwhile, Bhullar’s wife will also file another petition in the SC seeking review of an earlier judgment which had sentenced him to death. Holding responsible previous NDA government for predicament of Bhullar, Sarna said then home ministry, headed by BJP leader L K Advani, had advised the President that clemency should not be granted to Bhullar.“The decision of capital punishment itself needs to be reviewed since it was a 'split decision' of a double bench and was based entirely on confession extracted by police which was later retracted in the court,'' Sarna said.