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Supreme Court Adjourns Balwant Singh’s Mercy Petition Hearing by Four Weeks

The Supreme Court on November 25 adjourned the hearing of a petition filed by Balwant Singh Rajoana, a Babbar Khalsa terrorist convicted in the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. The petition seeks commutation of Rajoana’s death sentence, citing an inordinate delay in the decision on his mercy plea. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and K.V. Viswanathan postponed the hearing by four weeks following a request from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, who cited the “sensitive” nature of the case and the need for inputs from multiple agencies.


In earlier proceedings on November 18, the Court directed the mercy petition pending before the President to be resolved within two weeks. However, Mehta, raising concerns over national security and sensitivities involved, requested that the order not be finalized or uploaded. The Court, acknowledging this, refrained from signing the directive.


Balwant Singh was convicted in 2007 under multiple sections of the IPC and Explosive Substances Act for orchestrating a deadly suicide bombing in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. The attack, carried out by Punjab Police officer Dilawar Singh, claimed the lives of Beant Singh and 16 others. Co-accused Jagtar Singh Hawara was also sentenced to death, while others received life imprisonment.


Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, argued that his client has already spent 27 years in incarceration, highlighting similar cases where the death sentence was commuted due to delay. Rohatgi urged the Court to either commute the sentence or grant parole. The Punjab government clarified its limited role, as the mercy petition is with the President.


The Court reiterated its directive for the President’s Office to decide on the mercy petition and reserved further consideration of interim relief. The next hearing is expected in four weeks.


Case Reference

Balwant Singh v. Union of India & Ors., W.P.(Crl.) No. 414/2024




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