New Delhi, January 20: The Supreme Court has given the Centre a final deadline of March 18 to decide on the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death-row convict in the 1995 assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and KV Viswanathan adjourned the case for hearing on March 18 after the Centre requested additional time to address Rajoana’s mercy petition. The Court made it clear that this would be the last opportunity granted to the government, and failure to decide by the next hearing would prompt the Court to consider the case on its merits.
"We will grant you time as a last chance. Either you decide, or we will proceed to hear it on merits," the bench remarked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, described the case as "sensitive," citing its connection to the murder of a sitting Chief Minister Beant Singh, and requested an additional four to six weeks to review the petition. Mehta had made a similar request in previous hearings, explaining that the matter required further input from various agencies.
The Supreme Court is hearing a plea regarding the delay in addressing Rajoana's mercy petition. The convict has argued that the delay in deciding his petition — which has been pending for over a year — is grounds for the commutation of his death sentence.
Earlier, the Court had indicated that it would not consider Rajoana’s request for release until hearing from both the Union government and the Punjab state. Rajoana, a supporter of the Babbar Khalsa militant group, has requested that his death sentence be reduced to life imprisonment.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rajoana, also sought his temporary release, noting that he has been incarcerated for nearly 29 years. The convict’s petition argues that the prolonged delay in addressing his mercy plea constitutes an "extraordinary" and "inordinate" delay, which warrants a reconsideration of his death sentence.
