New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant any relief to former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana. The Supreme Court refused to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment.
The Court has also asked the Union Home Ministry to take an early decision on the mercy petition. Rajoana has been in jail for almost 27 years. His mercy petition has also been pending with the central government for more than 10 years.
On March 2, the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on the plea of Balwant Singh Rajoana, the killer of former CM Beant Singh.
The affidavit filed by the central government cited deteriorating law and order. Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, had said that the chief minister was killed in the bomb blast.
The sentence in the case was pronounced in July 2007 and the high court upheld the sentence in 2010. Rajoana has been in jail for 27 years and a mercy petition has been pending since 2012.
After this, Rajoana’s lawyer Mukul Rohatgi told the court that we cannot wait for his decision on the mercy petition, the court should now decide the case.
Rohatgi argues that this is inhuman, as an alternative, Rajoana can be released on parole until the mercy petition is decided. Rohatgi appealed to the court that separate contempt proceedings could be initiated against him for delaying the decision on the mercy petition.