The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Centre for not considering the commutation petition filed by death row convict, Balwant Singh Rajoana, in the Chief Minister, Beant Singh assassination case.
The Supreme Court today asked the Central government to take immediate steps on the plea filed by Balwant Singh Rajoana, seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment in the Chief Minister, Beant Singh assassination case.
Please take immediate steps on the issue. Whatever decision you (Centre) have to take, you take. But you have to take a decision,” a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Uday Umesh Lalit said in his order today.
The Supreme Court also made it clear that on one of the hearings on May 02, this court had given the Centre two months time to apprise the court about what kind of steps it had taken, and more than two months had been passed. But still no step have been taken. What is this,” the three-judge bench, also comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and JB Pardiwala, said.
The convict, Rajoana had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court and filed the writ petition in 2020, on the ground that the Central Government had in 2019 announced its decision to commute his death penalty to life imprisonment and grant remission to 8 other convicts to mark the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Rajoana, in his petition, sought for the implementation of this Centre’s decision. He also sought an alternate prayer to commute his death sentence on the ground of long delay in considering the mercy petition.
Taking exception to the lackadaisical attitude of the Central government in not considering the mercy petition filed by death row convict, Rajoana, the Supreme Court said, “You have to take immediate steps.”
“We direct a responsible officer from the concerned department to file an affidavit indicating the progress in the matter. The affidavit to be filed tomorrow,” the bench said and fixed the matter for further hearing to September 30, Friday.
For killing the Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, Rajaona was sentenced to the gallows by a lower court in Punjab, and was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and also by the Supreme Court.
