Supreme Court Rejects Plea Of Balwant Singh Rajaona To Commute Death Sentence In Former Punjab CM Beant Singh's Murder Case

Balwant Singh Rajaona’s plea to commute his death sentence for the murder of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh to a life term has been rejected by the Supreme Court.

The SC has suggested that the mercy petition should be dealt with by the Centre when required, reports The Indian Express.

In 1995, Balwant Singh Rajoana, a Punjab police constable and Babbar Khalsa International member, was found guilty of involvement in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

A special CBI court in Chandigarh sentenced Rajoana to death on 1 August 2007. Beant Singh and 16 others were killed by a human bomb outside the Punjab civil secretariat in Chandigarh on 31 August 1995.

Dilawar Singh Babbar was the primary human bomb, and Rajoana was the backup in case Babbar's mission failed. Rajoana has been imprisoned for 26 years and his mercy petition has remained undecided for over eight years.

Rajoana is linked to Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal). In 2022, his sister Kamaldeep Kaur ran for SAD in Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll but finished fourth.

At the beginning of this year, Rajoana, who is currently being held in Patiala Jail, publicly separated himself from the Quami Insaaf Morcha in Mohali. This organisation has been advocating for the early release of Sikh political prisoners.