New Delhi. The Supreme Court adjourned hearing on a writ petition seeking commutation of the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted of the 1995 murder of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, to life imprisonment. Rajoana has been on death row for more than 17 years and has been in prison for 28 years. They maintain that the excessive delay in the decision on his clemency petition has made him a victim of prolonged mental trauma and uncertainty, making his death sentence unsustainable. A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Vishwanathan sought the Punjab government’s response to the writ petition and adjourned the matter for hearing on November 18.
A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice KV Vishwanathan sought a response from the Punjab government and adjourned the hearing till November 18. At the beginning of the session, lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rajoana, emphasized the unusual circumstances of the case. He said that this is a shocking case since the man has been detained for 29 years without any interruption. He was originally convicted of a bombing offense in 1996. After being found guilty, he was sentenced.
This underlined the long and continuous nature of Rajoana’s imprisonment. Later, the court asked whether the state of Punjab had filed its reply. Punjab’s lawyer indicated that he had not done so because he had recently been notified of the matter. I have a simple and urgent request after 29 years, 15 of which I have been on death row. They have not resolved my petition for clemency, while others in this case have been commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court.
