News Analysis India

Tag: Balwant S Rajoana

  • Beant Singh murder: SC grants ‘last chance’ to Centre to decide on commuting Rajoana’s death penalty

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday granted “last chance” to the Centre to decide within two weeks on Balwant S Rajoana’s plea seeking commutation of death penalty in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination case.

    The Centre sought three weeks to decide on the plea saying the government is examining the issue and needs time under the present circumstance.

    A bench of Chief Justice Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, why does government needs three weeks, what is it doing? The bench said that “three weeks’ time sounds unreasonable to us. We had told you to do it by January 26. Today is January 25”.

    Mehta said that under the present circumstances, it is advisable to have the matter after three weeks.

    The bench said, “We are giving you last chance. Two weeks”.

    During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, said that this man is in jail for last over 25 years and his mercy petition is pending for last nine years.

    Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was convicted for his involvement in an explosion outside the Punjab civil secretariat that killed Beant Singh and 16 others in 1995.

  • Beant Singh assassination case: SC asks Centre to decide by Jan 26 Rajoana’s plea to commute death penalty

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre to take a decision before January 26 on Balwant S Rajoana’s plea seeking commutation of death penalty in former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassination case.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that the decision be taken before the Republic Day which is a “good date”.

    “We will give two-three weeks. You should complete the process before January 26. January 26 is a good day. It will be appropriate if you take a decision before that,” the bench said.

    Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was convicted for his involvement in an explosion outside the Punjab civil secretariat that killed Beant Singh and 16 others in 1995.

    Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, argued that his client’s mercy petition is pending since 2012.

    “This court has held that the death sentence of a person, if delayed for over eight years, can be commuted. He has been jail for 25 years,” Rohatgi said.

    Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, assured the court that a decision will be taken and the file will be sent to the President by then.

    “Competent authority is looking into the file. We will try to do it by then,” Nataraj said.

    The apex court had on December 4 questioned the Centre over delay in sending to the President the proposal for commuting the Rajoana’s death sentence.

    It had asked the Centre to apprise it as to when the authority would send the proposal in this regard to the President under Article 72 of the Constitution.

    The article deals with power of President to grant pardon, suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases.

    The apex court had noted that a letter was sent from the Ministry of Home Affairs to Punjab chief secretary on September 7 last year intimating that a proposal would be sent to the President to commute the death sentence of Rajoana.

    His plea sought direction for expeditious disposal of the MHA proposal.