The Home Ministry has not yet taken a decision on the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as it was busy in handling the situation arising out of the gang rape of a girl in Delhi.

Asked whether any decision has been taken on Guru's pending clemency plea, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the relevant file has come to him and he wanted to send the government's recommendation on the mercy to the President as soon as possible.

"But in between, the rape case happened and I had to devote a considerable amount of my time to it. I will take a decision. But I will have to go into details. When the country's President sends something to me for the second time, that means I have to go deep into the case and study it in detail and then send the recommendation," he said.