New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted four weeks additional time for the Union government to decide the mercy plea of Balwant Singh Rajoana facing the death penalty in the case related to the assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
A special bench comprising Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice K.V. Viswanathan after hearing the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who said that some sensitive issues are involved and more inputs from agencies are required to be taken, the court granted additional four weeks time.
The same bench had on November 18, directed President Droupadi Murmu’s secretary to place before her the mercy petition with a request to decide the matter within two weeks.
SG Mehta submitted that the file is with the Home Ministry and not with the President’s office. The Court then put on hold on its earlier order passed on November 18 and granted an additional four weeks time.
The matter pertains to a petition filed by Rajoana under Article 32 seeking commutation of the death sentence on the grounds of ‘extraordinary’ and ‘inordinate delay’ of 1 year and 4 months in deciding his mercy petition, which has been pending before the President since 2012.
Rajoana, 57 years, allegedly a member of the banned Babbar Khalsa, has been granted death sentence in the case related to the assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
He is said to be a part of the team involved in a deadly suicide bombing at the Chandigarh secretariat complex on August 31, 1995, wherein the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh along with 16 others, lost their lives.
