"Change Death Sentence to Life Imprisonment" Supreme Court Gives Centre Final Chance on Rajoana's Plea

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Supreme Court has granted the central government until March 18 to decide on the plea to convert the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana convicted for the assassination of Punjab's former Chief Minister Beant Singh into a life sentence. The court explicitly stated that this is the final opportunity for the government to take a decision on the matter.

The Supreme Court mentioned that if the government fails to reach a decision by the specified date the court will proceed with the hearing based on the merits of the case. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the government informed that the case involves the murder of 16 individuals, including a Chief Minister and the government is still considering the issue. In the previous hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to make a swift decision on Rajoana's mercy petition.

It is worth noting that Balwant Singh Rajoana has been in prison for nearly 27 years and his mercy petition has been pending with the central government for 12 years. During the hearing, Rajoana's counsel argued that the death sentence following the bomb blast that led to the Chief Minister's death was imposed in July 2007 and the High Court upheld the sentence in 2010. Rajoana has been incarcerated for 27 years and his mercy petition has been pending since 2012. Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rajoana, argued that prolonged delays in death sentence cases violate fundamental rights and also requested that Rajoana be granted parole until a decision is made on his mercy petition.