Top court gives last chance for the plea of Beant Singh killer appeal to centre for 2 weeks
The Top court today has given the Central government a last chance of 14 days to decide on the mercy appeal of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in the case of the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995.
The Supreme Court (SC) had earlier pulled up the Centre for wavered on the same matter. In a hearing on 4 last month 2020, it had cited a letter written by the Union Home Ministry to the Punjab government in the month of September 2019, where the government allegedly that a proposal to commute Rajoana's death sentence would be sent to the President.The Supreme Court bench stated, "You had written to the Punjab government that his death sentence will be commuted on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti," back then.
Moreover, today Solicitor General Tushar Mehta alleged that the Centre was still "examining the mercy plea". It will take three more weeks to finalise the matter since in the "present circumstances it is much better to wait". "A decision now will have some repercussions and it is also on the initial stage under the present circumstances, so please adjourn it by three weeks," it stated.
The bench of Justice SA Bobde and Justice AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, however, thought about three weeks' time was "unreasonable" and agreed on two final weeks for the government to come to a prominent decision. Apparently ,appearing for Rajoana, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi allegedly that the man had been in jail for over 25 years and his mercy petition had been pending the since 2012.
Earlier the Shiromani Akali Dal had urged for Rajoana's release this month.
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