‘Not conducive’: Centre opposes Balwant Rajoana’s death commutation plea in Supreme Court

A death-row convict has approached the Supreme Court seeking to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment, citing a prolonged delay in deciding a mercy petition that has been pending before the President since 2012. The accused, a former police constable and militant, was convicted for involvement in the 1995 suicide bombing outside the civil secretariat in Chandigarh that killed the then Chief Minister of Punjab and numerous others.

During the court proceedings, the Centre opposed the commutation plea. Government counsel argued before a Supreme Court bench that, given the prevailing situation and law and order conditions in Punjab, it would not be conducive to take such a decision. The Supreme Court decided to hear the plea on its merits after the Centre sought time to prepare its submissions.

The legal battle stems from a mercy petition filed by a religious committee in 2012, which led to a stay on a scheduled execution. Although the Union government previously considered commuting the sentence in 2019 around a notable birth anniversary, the decision was not implemented. The Supreme Court had previously declined to commute the sentence in 2023 while directing authorities to handle the pending petition, prompting the latest fresh legal challenge.

Not yet reported: The reports do not specify the final verdict or decision of the Supreme Court regarding the latest commutation plea.