The Supreme Court on Monday deferred by 4 weeks the hearing on Balwant Singh Rajoana’s petition seeking commutation of his death sentence for the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
A Special Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, PK Mishra, and KV Viswanathan granted the adjournment following a request from the Centre for additional time to process a pending mercy plea. Calling it a “sensitive matter,” Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, representing the Centre, stated that further inputs from various agencies were required.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta emphasized the need for consultation with other stakeholders.
Rajoana, convicted for orchestrating the August 31, 1995, bomb attack that killed Beant Singh and 12 others, was sentenced to death in 2007 by a special CBI court. A mercy petition on his behalf was filed in March 2012 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
In 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) proposed commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, but the proposal was not acted upon.
In September 2020, Rajoana petitioned the Supreme Court to expedite the decision on his mercy plea and implement the 2019 MHA proposal. The court directed the Centre to decide on the matter.
However, the Centre later submitted an affidavit stating its decision to defer action on the plea, citing concerns about national security and potential law-and-order issues.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court declined to intervene further, leaving the decision on Rajoana’s mercy plea to the Centre, to be addressed “at an appropriate time.” Dissatisfied, Rajoana filed a fresh petition urging the court to reconsider his plea.
The case remains a contentious issue, balancing legal, political, and security considerations. Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, has garnered significant attention over the years, with the assassination widely viewed as a pivotal event in Punjab’s political history.
The adjournment signals continued deliberation on the matter, reflecting its complexity and potential ramifications for national security and public sentiment.
