Balwant Rajaona's Death Sentence, Convicted For The Assassination Of Former Punjab CM Beant Singh, Reserved By The SC

The judgment in the plea to commute Balwant Singh Rajaona's death sentence, who was convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, has been reserved by the Supreme Court on Thursday. During the proceedings, a bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol observed orally that the Central government's ongoing failure to make a decision on Rajaona's 2012 mercy plea appeared to be contemptuous.

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rajoana, argued that keeping his 56-year-old client on death row for an extended period while a mercy petition remained pending, violated his fundamental rights. Rohatgi further argued that this delay was discriminatory as other convicts in similar situations had already been granted relief. Due to the government's delay in deciding the matter, Rohatgi urged the Court to direct Rajoana's release on parole.

Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case, has been in jail for more than 26 years. Despite the government's decision in 2019 to spare his life in honor of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 550th birth anniversary, his plea for Presidential mercy has remained unresolved. Rajoana, in a petition from his jail cell to the Supreme Court, expressed frustration with the government's lack of response to his repeated pleas for information on his mercy plea. He described the delay as "inexplicable."

In March of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Central government to make a decision on the matter immediately. The Court warned that if the authorities failed to make a decision soon, the concerned Secretary and the CBI Director (Prosecution) would be required to attend future hearings in person.