President A P J Abdul Kalam has begun consulting legal experts to decide on the mercy plea of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who has been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a schoolgirl in Kolkata.

According to sources, the President met Attorney General Milon Banerji in this connection today and discussed the clemency petition of Chatterjee, sources said.

Kalam, who has received a report from Union Home Ministry in this connection, is expected to consult some more legal experts before deciding on the petition, they said.

The Home Ministry has sent its report to the President. It is understood that the ministry had opined that since the crime was ghastly, the plea may be rejected.

The Supreme Court had earlier this month declined to entertain Chatterjee's plea against the West Bengal Governor's order rejecting his mercy petition on the ground that the

President "is seized of the matter under Article 72 of Constitution".

This is Dhananjoy's second mercy petition before the President. His first one was rejected on June 23, 1994.

Dhananjoy was sentenced to death by a Calcutta sessions court on August 12, 1991, for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old and the order was confirmed by the Calcutta High Court. The Supreme Court had also upheld the conviction and sentence in January 1994.

More reports from West Bengal