The Supreme Court has given the Union government four weeks to respond to the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
The Centre has pointed out the "sensitivity" of the case and argued that the current situation is not suitable for resolving the matter right now.
A special bench, consisting of Justices Bhushan R Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and KV Viswanathan, decided to delay the hearing after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, explained that the Home Ministry is still considering the mercy petition.
The petition has not been forwarded to the President because the case involves the murder of Beant Singh, a former Punjab CM.
Mehta told the court that the matter is sensitive and that several agencies need to be consulted before making a decision. He requested more time.
Balwant Singh Rajoana has been in prison for 29 years and has been on death row since 2007. For 12 years, he was kept in solitary confinement. His death sentence was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010.
Rajoana's execution was stayed in 2012 after the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee filed a mercy petition on his behalf. Since then, no decision has been made on the petition, with successive governments citing national security concerns and a volatile political situation in Punjab as reasons for the delay.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court had given the President’s office an ultimatum, ordering it to decide on the matter within two weeks. The court warned that if no decision was made, it would step in and consider granting interim relief to Rajoana.
Follow us
