No political influence in commutation of death: Apex Court
September 28th, 2011 - 10:27 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday said it will decide on pleas for commuting death sentences to life imprisonment on the grounds of delay purely on the basis of law without being influenced by politics.
“If there are 20 people sentenced to death, then…some must have the support of some group or other…some have no godfather. How do we deal with this?” Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya said while hearing a petition by Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, who is on death row, and his wife Navneet Kaur.
“We will deal with it purely as a constitutional and legal issue uninfluenced by any other issues,” said Justice Singhvi.
The observation assumes significance in the wake of the Tamil Nadu assembly passing a resolution seeking the commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins.
Bhullar’s plea seeking commutation of his death sentence to life term on the grounds of inordinate delay in deciding on his mercy plea will now come up for hearing Oct 18. He had filed the mercy petition Jan 14, 2003.
President Pratibha Patil rejected his plea May 24, 2011, a day after the Supreme Court issued notice to the government on his plea.
He was sentenced to death for his involvement in the 1993 car bomb blast at the Youth Congress office here. The Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence March 22, 2002.
The apex court pulled up the central and Delhi governments for their failure to file their replies to as to why it took them so long in deciding Bhullar’s mercy plea.
Justice Singhvi said: “Anybody and everybody wants to know what happened in eight years.”
The bench hinted at the executive’s incompetence in handling such issues and compared the situation to the one in which the authorities turns a blind eye to encroachment and leave it to the court to decide their fate.
Bhullar’s wife moved the apex court saying that her husband’s death sentence be commuted to life on the ground of the delay in disposing off his mercy petition.
Bhullar is undergoing treatment for a mental ailment in Delhi. His condition is being blamed on his long incarceration.
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- CJI to decide bench for hearing death row convict's plea - Feb 09, 2012
- Mentally ill can't be hanged, Bhullar tells apex court - Nov 09, 2011
- SC slams Punjab government for 'drama' in Rajoana case - Mar 29, 2012
- Bhullar allowed to amend plea against death penalty - Sep 06, 2011
- Delay on Bhullar's mercy plea no cruelty, apex court told - Oct 19, 2011
- Apex court seeks time frame for deciding mercy pleas - Apr 19, 2012
- Supreme Court to hear Rajiv killers' plea Oct 19 - Oct 11, 2011
- Supreme Court asks for mercy plea details - Nov 15, 2011
- Apex court takes over Rajiv assassins' mercy pleas (Lead) - May 01, 2012
- Apex court commences hearing in mercy petition cases - Mar 27, 2012
- Apex court takes over Rajiv assassins' mercy plea - May 01, 2012
- Bhullar plea: Jurists divided on abolishing death penalty - Nov 20, 2011
- Mercy plea: SC poser on right of crime's victim - Mar 28, 2012
Tags: apex court, assassins, bhullar, blind eye, car bomb blast, commutation, congress office, death sentence, death sentences, encroachment, former prime minister, incompetence, life imprisonment, mercy petition, navneet kaur, political influence, president pratibha patil, rajiv gandhi, tamil nadu, youth congress