The Supreme Court of India on Monday directed the Secretary to President Droupadi Murmu to place before her the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted for the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. The court requested that the President consider the plea within two weeks.

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Beant Singh
Beant Singh

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, P.K. Mishra, and K.V. Viswanathan said the mercy petition of Rajoana, who is on death row, should be reviewed expeditiously. "In spite of the matter being specifically kept today none appeared for Union of India. The bench assembled only for this case," the court noted in its order. "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 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 is now scheduled to be heard again on December 5, 2024.

Who Is Balwant Singh Rajoana?

Rajoana, a resident of Rajoana Kalan village in Ludhiana district, was convicted for his involvement in the assassination of Beant Singh on August 31, 1995. The killing, carried out in a suicide bomb attack by Dilawar Singh, also resulted in the deaths of 16 others. Rajoana, who was a backup bomber, has been in jail for over 25 years.

A former Punjab police constable, Rajoana was sympathetic to the militant group Babbar Khalsa International and believed that Beant Singh was responsible for the extrajudicial killings of Sikh youth. He justified the assassination, claiming the Chief Minister had "assumed himself [to be the] angel of peace after killing thousand innocent people," and compared himself to historical figures like Guru Gobind Singh and Ram Ji. Rajoana expressed anger over Operation Blue Star and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, blaming Beant Singh for the atrocities against the Sikh community

In his judicial confession, Rajoana stated: “...Beant Singh assumed himself angel of peace after killing thousand innocent people, compared himself with Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Ram Ji, thereafter we had decided to kill Chief Minister.”

Legal Journey and Developments

Rajoana was arrested in December 1995, and in 2007, a special CBI court sentenced him to death. He did not appeal his conviction, stating that he had no remorse for his actions. On August 10, 2009, he asked the Punjab and Haryana High Court to consider his death penalty case separately from his co-accused, who had contested their convictions.

Rajoana's hanging was initially scheduled for 2012, but it was delayed due to protests in Punjab, with political and religious leaders calling for a stay on the execution. On March 28, 2012, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) filed a mercy petition on his behalf, which led to a stay on his execution by the Union Home Ministry.

Rajoana’s case continued to attract legal and political attention. In May 2024, the Supreme Court rejected a plea to commute his death sentence but stated that the competent authority could address his mercy petition.

Current Status

As of September 2024, Rajoana's fate hangs in the balance. The Supreme Court's latest order directs the President’s office to expedite the consideration of his mercy plea. The Union of India, along with the Punjab government and Chandigarh administration, has been asked to submit their responses to Rajoana’s appeal.

With the latest developments, all eyes are now on the President's decision, which could come as soon as mid-November. The case is scheduled for further hearing on December 5, 2024.