President Mukherjee decided on Kasab plea in 12 days

It took barely a fortnight for President Pranab Mukherjee to decide on the mercy petition of 26/11 convict Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was hanged on Wednesday morning in a Pune jail.

"The president had rejected the mercy petition of Kasab on November 5," Venu Rajamony, the president's press secretary, told IANS.

After the Maharashtra government rejected Kasab's mercy plea on October 16 and the union home ministry followed suit on October 23, the file moved to President Mukherjee.

Mukherjee took his decision in about 12 days, rejecting Kasab's plea on November 5 - thus paving the way for his execution.

By November 8, the file had moved back to the Maharashtra government for further action, and Kasab was hanged November 21 - five days before the fourth anniversary of the carnage.

"The president rejected Kasab's mercy petition November 5. I had forwarded it to the Maharashtra government on November 8, and it was finalised that day that Kasab would be hanged on November 21 at 7.30 a.m.", Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters confirming Kasab's hanging.

There are 14 mercy petitions before the president, including that of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.