Beant Singh assassination: Centre opposes commutation of Balwant Singh Rajoana’s death sentence

The Centre has opposed a plea by death-row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana seeking commutation of the death sentence awarded to him in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

Also read | Beant Singh assassination: Supreme Court refuses interim relief for Rajoana

Rajoana, who has been in custody for more than 30 years, approached the Supreme Court over the delay in deciding a mercy petition that has been pending before the President since 2012.

“We have objection to what they are demanding. Considering the prevailing situation in the State [Punjab], it will not be conducive to take any decision,” Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, told a Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath.

In view of the Centre’s opposition to the plea, the Bench, also comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh, said it would proceed to hear the matter on merits.

“Now that they insist on commuting their death sentence to life, which you oppose, we will hear the matter on merits,” the Bench said.

The court posted the matter for hearing on October 28 after Mr. Nataraj sought time to prepare the case.

Rajoana, a Babbar Khalsa militant, was convicted for his role in the assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a suicide bombing outside the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. The bomber, Dilawar Singh, and 17 others were also killed in the explosion.

A special court awarded Rajoana the death penalty in July 2007, which was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010. His execution was fixed for March 31, 2012, but was stayed after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) submitted a mercy petition on his behalf.

In 2019, the Union Home Ministry announced a decision to commute Rajoana’s death sentence as part of measures linked to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. With no subsequent decision on his mercy plea, Rajoana approached the Supreme Court in 2020 over the prolonged delay.

The Centre and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) opposed relief to him, pointing, among other things, to national security and the law and order situation in Punjab. On May 3, 2023, the Supreme Court declined to commute his death sentence and left it to the competent authority to deal with his mercy plea.

Rajoana again moved the top court in 2024, seeking commutation of his death sentence on the ground that the prolonged delay in deciding his mercy petition violated his right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.