New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday deferred to March 18 the hearing on a petition filed by Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment due to prolonged delay in deciding his mercy petition.
Rajoana, 58, a former Punjab Police constable, was convicted in the 1995 assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Singh and 16 others were killed in a bomb blast outside the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. Rajoana was sentenced to death by a special court in 2007 and has been in jail for over 29 years.
A mercy petition filed on his behalf by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has remained pending for more than 13 years.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria adjourned the matter after the Centre sought additional time. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, referred to the court’s earlier order of September 24, 2025, which had stated that no further adjournments at the Centre’s request would be entertained.
Previously, the bench had questioned the delay in carrying out the execution, asking why Rajoana had not been hanged despite the 2007 sentence. It had directed the Centre to take clear instructions on the mercy plea and warned that it would proceed to hear the case on merits if no decision was made.
On January 20, 2025, the court had set a March 18, 2025 deadline for the Centre to decide on the mercy petition filed under Article 72 of the Constitution, cautioning that it would otherwise adjudicate the matter itself. However, no final decision has been taken.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier argued that the mercy plea could not be processed as it was filed by the SGPC and not by Rajoana personally, and that a decision should await the outcome of appeals by other convicts. It also cited concerns that deciding the plea could impact national security and law and order.
Rajoana, in a fresh petition, has argued that the prolonged delay has caused severe mental trauma and uncertainty, warranting commutation of his death sentence. He has cited past judgments, including the Devender Pal Singh Bhullar case, to contend that inordinate delay beyond a prisoner’s control can justify commutation.
The matter will now be heard on March 18.
