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Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Wednesday accused the Centre of adopting a ‘policy of delay’ and urged the Supreme Court to direct the Union government to take an immediate decision on the commutation of the sentences of various Sikh prisoners, including Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death row convict in CM Beant Singh’s assassination case. Addressing the media after the executive committee meeting, gurdwara body chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said the SGPC has received a fresh message from Rajoana asking for the withdrawal of the petition. “We condemn the policy of delay being adopted by the Centre in the matter of Rajoana and other Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners).
It is discriminatory behaviour towards the Sikh minority. A special resolution was passed urging the Supreme Court to direct the Centre to take an immediate decision on the commutation of Rajoana’s death sentence. He has been on death row since 2007,” Dhami said.
The SGPC had submitted the mercy plea under Article 72 of the Constitution demanding commutation of the death sentence of Rajoana, convicted of the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995, with the President in 2012. The SGPC has also been seeking the release of other Sikh prisoners, including Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict. Dhami stated that Rajoana has asked SGPC to withdraw the petition concerning him and ask the Centre to take a swift decision, as he (Rajoana) no longer sees “any difference between life and death”.
The SGPC president further added that the government should not backtrack on its decisions and implement the notification issued during the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019. He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter. He said that the SGPC will seek an appointment with the Union home minister over the issue.
On March 21, 2025, after one-and-a-half years, the Centre officially turned down the request of the Akal Takht-constituted five-member panel for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the cases of Rajoana and other Sikh prisoners. Dhami further said that a large number of suggestions have been received with regard to suggestions for the rules concerning the appointment and retirement of the jathedar of Akal Takht. “I request the Sikh community, especially leading panthic organisations, to send their suggestions to the SGPC so that a comprehensive policy based on collective opinion and sentiment can be formulated.
The deadline for sending suggestions is April 20, after which a committee will be formed to review the inputs,” Dhami said, who also announced that the executive committee has approved a 4% increase in the dearness allowance for SGPC employees..
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