look news india
Balwant Singh Rajoana: The Supreme Court can give big relief in the case of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is serving death sentence in Patiala jail for the murder of former Chief Minister Beant Singh. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the petition to convert the death sentence to life imprisonment again after 16 months. A bench headed by Supreme Court Justice BR Gavai has issued a notice to the Center and the Punjab government and sought their response regarding the 12-year delay in taking a decision on Rajoana's sentence.
Balwant Singh Rajoana has been in jail for 28 years in the Beant Singh murder case of 1995. On May 3, 2023, the Supreme Court had banned the commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment and given the Central Government the freedom to decide on the mercy petition. The central government had said on the mercy petition that we cannot take a decision on Rajoana's petition because according to the reports of the agencies, it could spoil the atmosphere of Punjab and the country.
Rajoana, in his fresh petition, said that almost 1 year and 4 months have passed since the disposal of the petitioner's first writ petition and the decision regarding his fate is still in limbo. Due to which the petitioner suffers mental trauma and anxiety every day, which in itself is sufficient ground for invoking the powers of Article 32 of this Court.
Mukal Rohatgi, one of the top lawyers of the country, appearing on behalf of Balwant Singh Rajoana, said that Rajoana has been in jail for 28 years. Even after spending 17 years on death row, he can no longer wait in the name of national security. He said that the Center not taking a decision on the mercy petition is a violation of human rights. Referring to Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Rohatgi said that his mental condition had deteriorated due to being in jail for a long time.
