New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI) The Supreme Court today sought responses from the Centre and the Assam government on a plea by a death row convict assailing the decision on his mercy petition by the President on ground of delay of more than 12 years. "Issue notice only to the Union of India and the state of Assam," a bench of justices A K Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar said while posting the matter for further hearing on February 9. Mahendra Nath Das, who awarded death penalty in a double murder case in Guwahati. His mercy petition was rejected by President Pratibha Patil on May 27, 2011 and Das assailed the decision on his mercy plea on the ground of "excruciating agony and trauma" suffered by him while in the pendency of decision for almost 12 years. Das contended that his mercy plea was kept pending for "no explainable reasons". He raised a legal question, identical to that raised by Devendar Pal Singh Bhullar and Rajiv Gandhi assassins relating to "unexplained delay" lasting over a decade, in deciding the respective mercy petitions. Earlier, the apex court another bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya had called for the records of all the mercy petitions which are pending consideration and their respective status.
