We support home ministry's stand on Afzal Guru's hanging:Congress

Amid reports that government has rejected the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, Congress today said it supports the home ministry's stand on the issue.

"Law will take its own course and the procedure laid down under the Constitution will be followed and shall be followed. We support the Home Ministry on this issue, "party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarjan told reporters here.

The party's reaction came in wake of the reports that government is likely to recommend to President Pratibha Patil that the mercy petition of Afzal Guru be rejected, upholding the death sentence awarded to him by the Supreme Court.

BJP has expressed hope that the President would go by the government recommendation that Afzal Guru be hanged, saying he was 'a symbol of treachery and terrorism' who deserved capital punishment.

BJP has often alleged in the past that the Congress-led government at the Centre and Delhi government were dragging their feet on hanging of Afzal Guru for minority appeasement and vote-bank politics.

Guru was sentenced to death by a sessions court on December 18, 2002, for the December 13, 2001, terrorist attack on Parliament house. The verdict was upheld by the Delhi high court on October 29, 2003, and by the Supreme Court on August 4, 2005.