The apex court of India will take up the petition of Balwant Sing, serving sentence in former Punjab CM Beant Singh’s murder case, on March 18, as it finds intervention from the central government better. Notably, Balwant Singh has requested the Supreme Court to convert the death sentence into life imprisonment.
The bench headed by Justice BR Gavai will hear the case next on March 18. During the hearing of the case, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the petitioner, said that this case has been going on since the time of former CJI SA Bobde.
Rohatgi emphasized that Rajoana has already served a long period of 29 years in jail and he should be released now.
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Responding to the concern highlighted by Rohatg, Justice BR Gavai told the central government that either you decide or we will hear the case on merits. The petitioner’s lawyer said that the death sentence in the Bhullar case was converted into life imprisonment.
In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had stayed the order given regarding the convict Balwant Singh Rajoana. In the last hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj emphasized the sensitivity of the case and said that the center would need more information from other agencies.
Moreover, the solicitor general informed the Supreme Court about the pendency of the mercy petition in the Home Ministry as it is yet to reach the President.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Central Government, assured the apex court of a reply in the matter.
Notably, Balwant Sing Rajoana has already served 38 years and 8 months of his sentence. Of the total served period Rajoana has spent 17 years as a death row convict. More than a year ago the Supreme Court had directed the competent authority to decide on his mercy petition.
The petition states that the death row petitioner has been waiting for a long time for a decision on his mercy petition. Due to the unreasonably long uncertainty about his life, he is facing unimaginable mental agony, which is a violation of the right to life under Article 21.
To add further, on 31 August 1995, Beant Singh and 16 other people were killed in an explosion at the gate of the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. A special court had sentenced Rajoana to death in the Beant Singh murder case in July 2007.
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