SC to Hear Rajoana’s Plea Against Death Sentence on Oct 28
The Supreme Court has scheduled a high-stakes hearing for October 28 regarding Balwant Singh Rajoana's plea to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.
The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a critical hearing for October 28 to consider the plea of death-row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana. Rajoana, who was convicted for the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, is seeking the commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and Aparesh Kumar Singh has directed that the matter be placed at the top of the judicial board on the scheduled date. This decision comes after Rajoana’s legal counsel raised concerns regarding repeated adjournments in the case, pressing for an expedited hearing.
The Long Wait for Mercy
Rajoana’s petition centers on the "extraordinary" and "inordinate" delay in deciding his mercy petition, which has been pending before the President of India since 2012. The convict has spent more than 29 years in prison, with over 17 years spent specifically on death row. His plea highlights the harsh conditions of his incarceration, noting that he has spent 17 years in a capital punishment cell, which includes 2.5 years in solitary confinement.
The legal battle has seen several significant developments:
- 2012: An execution scheduled for March 31 was stayed following a mercy petition filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
- 2019: The Centre had reportedly decided to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary, yet the decision has not been implemented.
- 2023: The Supreme Court declined to commute the sentence itself but directed competent authorities to decide on the mercy plea.
- 2024: The top court urged the Centre to take a definitive decision on the matter.
Government’s Stance on National Security
Representing the Union government, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj requested a short adjournment, which the bench granted. The Central government has previously maintained that the matter is highly sensitive due to its connection to the murder of a sitting Chief Minister. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also cited national security and law and order concerns as reasons for deferring the decision on the mercy petition.
Balwant Singh Rajoana, a sympathiser of the Babbar Khalsa militant group, was originally sentenced to death by a Chandigarh court in 2007. This sentence was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010, a decision Rajoana did not appeal. The assassination of Beant Singh occurred via a bomb explosion in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995, an event that remains a significant moment in India's political history.