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Rajoana has been in jail since January 1996. His mercy petition was filed in 2012, ten years ago.
The Supreme Court has listed the mercy petition filed by death-row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana on November 1, 2022, for final disposal. Rajoana has been held guilty in the former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh assassination case.
When the matter was taken up today by a bench of CJI UU Lalit, Justice Bhat and Justice Trivedi, the court noted that the appeals by the co-accused in the case were pending before the Supreme Court and suggested that Singh's plea be taken up with them.
Last month, Court sought the Central Governments' response on the mercy petition filed by Rajoana. A Chief Justice of India UU Lalit led bench asked the Centre to submit its decision within one day. Court ordered that an affidavit be filed by a responsible officer by tomorrow.
“We can’t force you to take what decision…but you have to take one”, the CJI remarked then.
Earlier in May this year, Court had directed the Centre to take a decision on Rajoana's plea in two months without being influenced by pending appeals of other convicts in the case.
Rajoana was convicted in 1995 and has been in jail awaiting his execution. Former Punjab CM Beant Singh and sixteen other people were killed in an explosion outside the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh in 1995.
Sentenced to death in 2007 by a special court, Rajoana's mercy petition has been pending for more than eight years.
Case Title: Balwant Singh vs. Union of India and Ors.
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