Beant Singh assassination case: Supreme Court grants four weeks additional time to Centre to decide mercy plea of death row convict

On November 18, the court had directed President Droupadi Murmu's secretary to place before her the mercy petition with a request to decide the matter within two weeks.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted four weeks further time to the Centre to decide a mercy petition with regard to death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, submitted before a bench of Justices B R Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra and K V Vishwanathan that "some sensitivity" is involved and more inputs from agencies are required in the matter.

Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, also for the Centre, said some more inputs are required to be taken in the case. He said it is a sensitive matter.

Rajoana, 57 years, a member of the banned Babbar Khalsa, has been sentenced to death penalty in the case related to the assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

On November 18, the court directed President Droupadi Murmu's secretary to place before her the mercy petition with a request to decide the matter within two weeks.

The court, however, put on hold the order passed on Monday itself upon a request by the Solicitor General.

He said that the order should not be given effect as there are "sensitivities" involved in the issue.

He submitted that the file is with the Home Ministry and not with the President's office.

Rajoana is a death row convict in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

On November 4, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider interim relief for Rajoana, who sought commutation of his sentence over inordinate delay in deciding his mercy plea.

His counsel said that this is a shocking case as the petitioner has been in custody for 29 years and has never been out of jail.

He had said it is complete violation of Article 21 of the Constitution as his mercy petition is pending consideration for 12 years.

On May 3, 2023, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea by Rajoana for commutation of his death penalty in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, due to inordinate delay of over 10 year in deciding a mercy petition, saying it is the executive's domain to take a call on such sensitive issues.

On August 31, 1995, in a bomb blast, then Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh, along with 16 others, lost their lives and a dozen others were injured.

The petitioner was arrested on January 27, 1996.

The trial court on July 27, 2007 convicted the petitioner along with co-accused Jagtar Singh Hawara, Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Shamsher Singh and Nasib Singh. The petitioner along with co-accused Jagtar Singh Hawara were awarded death sentence.

The High Court on December 10, 2010 confirmed the conviction and sentence of the petitioner.

However, it commuted the death sentence of Jagtar Singh into life imprisonment.