The Privy Council, Britain’s highest appellate court, today refused to hear a plea to set aside the death sentence imposed on Dov Gruner, Palestinian Jew, leaving the final decision on his execution in the hands of Palestine High Commissioner Sir Alan G. Cunningham.
The Council’s Judicial Committee ruled that Frank Gruner of New York, uncle of the condemned Irgunist, who had requested permission to appeal, had no personal interest in the case and was therefore incompetent to file a plea. Constantine Gallop, defense counsel, argued that so important a matter should not be rejected because of a “narrow” interpretation of competence. He asserted that there might be highly important personal factors which kept Dov Gruner from appealing in his own behalf.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.