Supreme Court Orders Indian Government to Respond to Balwant Singh Rajoana's Petition
Supreme Court to Govt: File affidavit on Balwant Singh Rajoana’s petition
The Indian Express
Image: The Indian Express
The Supreme Court of India has directed the central government to submit a counter affidavit within two weeks regarding Balwant Singh Rajoana's plea for commutation of his death sentence. Rajoana, convicted for the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, claims delays in his mercy petition processing warrant a review of his sentence.
- 01The Supreme Court has set a two-week deadline for the government to respond.
- 02Balwant Singh Rajoana was convicted for the assassination of Beant Singh in 1995.
- 03Rajoana's death sentence was confirmed in 2007 by a special CBI court.
- 04A mercy petition on Rajoana's behalf was filed in March 2012.
- 05The court emphasized that no further extensions will be granted for the affidavit submission.
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The Supreme Court of India has instructed the central government to file a counter affidavit within two weeks in response to Balwant Singh Rajoana's petition for commutation of his death sentence. Rajoana was convicted for the assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995, which also resulted in the deaths of 12 others. He was sentenced to death by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in 2007. The court's directive comes after Rajoana's legal representatives argued that the delay in processing his mercy petition, filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in March 2012, justifies a review of his sentence. The bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and Vijay Bishnoi, made it clear that no further time will be allowed for the government to submit its response.
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The Supreme Court's directive could influence the legal proceedings surrounding Rajoana's death sentence, potentially affecting public sentiment and discussions about capital punishment in India.
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