SC requests President to decide Rajoana's mercy plea in two weeks

A special bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai requested President Murmu to consider Rajoana's plea

- PARMOD KUMAR

The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold its order passed earlier in the morning asking the Secretary to the President of India Droupadi Murmu to place the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana before the President with a request to consider it within two weeks.

Rajoana was awarded the death sentence for his involvement in the assassination of the then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995 at Chandigarh.

The order asking the Secretary to the President Murmu to place before the President, Rajoana's mercy petition with a request to consider it within two weeks was put on hold later in the day after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in a mentioning urged the bench that the order should not be given effect to as there are "sensitivities" involved in the issue and that it be heard on Friday, November 22, 2024.

The matter will now be heard on Monday, November 25, 2024.

In the morning, the Central government was not represented in the hearing by a special bench comprising Justice B.T. Gavai, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice K.V. Viswanathan.