SC sets March 18 deadline for Rajoana mercy plea decision
Supreme Court gives Centre deadline until March 18 to decide Rajoana’s mercy plea
The Supreme Court has given the Indian government until March 18, 2025, to decide on the long-pending mercy plea of Balwant Singh Rajoana. Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, has been in prison for 29 years. He has spent 15 of those years on death row following his 2007 conviction.
The court emphasized that if the government does not take a decision by the deadline, it will decide the case on its own merits. In the last hearing, a bench led by Justice Bhushan R Gavai, along with Justices PK Mishra and KV Viswanathan, stated this would be the “last chance” for the Centre to act.
Prolonged legal delays and pending mercy plea
Balwant Singh Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was sentenced to death for his role in the 1995 bombing outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. The attack killed Chief Minister Beant Singh and 16 others. The Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld his death sentence in 2010.
In 2012, his execution was postponed after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) filed a mercy plea on his behalf. Successive governments have delayed decisions on the plea, citing national security concerns and Punjab's political sensitivities.
In September 2019, the Union Home Ministry reportedly decided to commute his sentence to life imprisonment to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. However, the decision has not been finalized.
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Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rajoana, argued for his release, pointing to his long time on death row and the need for reintegration into society. He also requested a medical evaluation, noting the psychological toll of extended time under a death sentence. However, the government opposed this request, stating mental health is not relevant in such cases.
Legal and political controversy
Mercy petitions under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution are a last hope for death row convicts. These petitions are decided by the President based on recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and input from state governments. Although there is no fixed timeline for the President to act, the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) now mandates the Centre to make recommendations within 60 days.
Rajoana has not challenged his conviction in higher courts. Instead, his petition to the Supreme Court highlights the government's previous communication about commuting his death sentence.
The case has sparked political debate, with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) advocating for Rajoana's release, calling it a step toward healing Punjab’s turbulent history. SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal has urged the government to act swiftly. Meanwhile, the BJP-led Centre remains firm, arguing that the assassination of a former chief minister is too serious to warrant clemency.
The Supreme Court will now wait for the Centre’s decision by March 18. If no decision is made, the court will rule based on the case’s legal merits. This case raises questions about the balance between justice, political considerations, and humanitarian concerns in death penalty cases.
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