SC refuses to stall death sentence of former Punjab CM, Beant Singh’s killer

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to commute the death penalty of former Punjab Chief Minster, Beant Singh's killer Balwant Singh to life imprisonment.

A Bench comprising Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol said that the competent authority will decide the plea of the convict seeking mercy.

The Court had on March 2 reserved its verdict on the plea of Singh after it heard submissions by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the convict and. The court had also taken into note the submissions made by Additional Solicitor General K M Natraj.

Singh a former Punjab police constable was convicted for his involvement in the explosion which took place outside the Punjab civil secretariat on August 31 1995, in which Beast Singh and 16 other were killed.

He was sentenced to death in July 2007.

The agencies say that he was a member of the Babbar Khalsa International. He was found guilty of his crime and subsequently sentenced to death by a CBI special court in Chandigarh.

Singh was a backup human bomb in case Dilawar Singh failed in his mission. He has been in jail for 26 years and his mercy petition has been hanging fire for over eight years now.

"We have noted the stand of the Ministry of Home Affairs to defer the decision on the mercy petition...It actually amounts to a decision declining to grant the same for the present. We have directed the competent authority to deal with the mercy petition as and when they deem necessary and take a further decision," the Bench said.

The cop turned militant was to be hanged in March 2012, but his execution had been stayed by the UPA government, following a clemency plea that had been filed.

"To keep a prisoner on death row for so long violates their fundamental rights according to judgements of this court and is a ground for their sentence to be commuted. Singh is entitled to be released from death row forthwith. The moment he gets his commutation order, he can apply to be released since he has already spent 27 years behind bars. It is inhuman. Alternatively, if you wish to wait for the government's response to the mercy appeals, then at the very least, grant the petitioner parole. He wants to go to his village, and he will stay there," Rohatgi agreeing for Singh said.