The Supreme Court of India today asked the Centre why Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted in the murder case of the then Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh and is facing the death penalty, has not been hanged yet.
Rajoana was convicted in the 1995 assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Rajoana has been under house arrest for the past 29 years. Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj briefed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria about the case.
The bench asked the Additional Solicitor General, “Why haven’t you hanged him yet? Who is responsible for this? At least, we have not stayed the execution.” The apex court is hearing a plea seeking commutation of Rajoana’s death sentence to life imprisonment.
The bench asked the Additional Solicitor General, "Why haven't you hanged him yet? Who is responsible for this? At least, we have not stayed the execution." The apex court is hearing a plea seeking commutation of Rajoana's death sentence to life imprisonment.
He said that the top court has said that Rajoana himself had not filed the mercy petition, but it was filed by the Gurdwara Committee. The bench adjourned the hearing of the case till October 15, saying that the matter will not be adjourned on the request of the Centre.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to take a decision on Rajoana's mercy petition on January 20. The Centre had then said that the mercy petition was being considered, citing the sensitivity of the case.
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