4 days Ago
The Supreme Court on Monday (November 18) asked the secretary to the President of India to place the matter of mercy petition of death-row prisoner Balwant Singh Rajoana before the President. The apex court requested the President to consider Rajoana's mercy plea within two weeks. Rajoana was awarded death sentence for assassination of the then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PK Mishra and K V Viswanathan said, "Inspite of the matter being specifically kept today none appeared for Union of India. The bench assembled only for this case." "On the last date the matter was adjourned to enable the Union to take instructions from the office of the President as to by when will mercy plea be decided.
Taking into consideration that the petitioner is on a death row, we direct the secretary to the President of India to place the matter before the President with a request to consider the same within two weeks from today," the bench said. The matter will now be heard on December 5. The then Punjab chief minister and 16 others were killed in a blast at the entrance of the civil secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995.
A special court sentenced Rajoana to death in July 2007..
