SC to Centre: Decide Balwant S Rajoana's mercy plea by Jan 26

Balwant S Rajoana who was convicted of assassinating Beant Singh in 1995 has been in jail for 25 years awaiting his execution. Also Read | UK flights resumed: Air India flight with 256 on board lands at IGI Airport Balwant S Rajaona was sentenced to death in 2007 by a special court. His mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution is pending for eight years. The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to decide by January 26 Balwant S Rajoana’s plea for commutating the death penalty awarded to him in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination case. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said the decision had to be taken before the Republic Day, which is a “good date”. “We will give two to 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,” Bobde said. The Supreme Court had on December 4 questioned the Centre over the delay in sending a proposal to the President for commuting Rajoana’s death penalty. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1347449083263287296?s=20

Once the Centre had decided to recommend Presidential pardon for a death row convict, the pendency of appeals of his co-accused could not be a reason to delay the clemency proceedings, it mentioned. Also Read | France invites India to join EU operations in Persian Gulf “Appeal of other co-accused has no relevance to the decision to commute the death sentence of some convicts taken to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev,” it stated. The inordinate delay caused agony and adversely affected his physical and mental health, Rajaona contended. The former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and 16 others were killed in an explosion outside the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh in 1995. -PTC News