SC GIVES GOVT SIX WEEKS TO DECIDE ON MERCY PLEA OF RAJOANA
The Supreme Court on Friday gave the Centre six more weeks to decide on granting pardon to Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted of killing former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in August 1995.
The Centre told the court on Friday that the petition for pardoning Rajoana was still pending with the President. Appearing before a three-judge bench headed by chief justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said: “The petitioner is accused of assassination of former CM Beant Singh of Punjab, possibly over differences on the Khalistan issue. Since the President would take his own decision, the court may await the decision of the President.”
The bench, also comprising justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, asked Mehta: “Can you indicate a time-frame?”
Mehta requested the court to have it after six weeks. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Rajoana, opposed this request saying that the man has been in jail for over 25 years. The mercy pleas filed on his behalf by various Sikh organisations and individuals have been pending a decision since March 2012. Rajoana has neither moved any mercy petition nor appealed against his death sentence.
This is the second consecutive adjournment request by the Centre. On January 8, the Centre informed the court that the ministry of home affairs processed the file at its end. On January 25, the Centre sought three weeks.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Amritsar, and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee moved separate mercy pleas seeking pardon for Rajoana in March 2012. The petitions were filed before the President.
NEW DELHI: