Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | SC questions bias in treating mercy petitions

SC questions bias in treating mercy petitions

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Mar 28, 2012   modified Modified on Mar 28, 2012
-The Times of India

The Supreme Court on Tuesday was at a loss to understand why convict Dhananjoy Chatterjee's execution was swift, but a lot of political muscle flexing was on show when it came to Beant Singh's killer Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is slated to be hanged on March 31.

The controversy over Rajoana's death sentence reached the apex court on Tuesday with a NGO Lawyers for Human Rights International seeking a review of the trial court verdict, against which the convict had not filed an appeal. However, a co-convict's appeal is pending in the SC.

Examining an eight-year delay in deciding the mercy plea of Delhi bomb blast accused Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya wanted to know from the Centre whether the delay in deciding mercy pleas allowed political parties and legislatures to pass resolutions supporting leniency to the convicts.

The bench observed: "If someone sentenced to the gallows does not have any support, then what is to be done in such a case." It recalled the case of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who was executed for rape and murder of a minor school student.

"There are several such cases of rape and murder similar to that of Dhananjoy Chatterjee. But he was executed as except for his family members nobody came forward to support his clemency. He was sent to the other world. What criteria did we adopt?" it asked.

The court noted that for murder of nine people Bhullar had been on death row since August 25, 2001, and that he was undergoing treatment for acute depression at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in Delhi.

Recent decision of the Punjab government to back clemency for Rajoana for assassination of Punjab CM Beant Singh in 1995 seemed to have a bearing on the ongoing proceedings.

The bench said, "We are now witnessing resolutions from legislative bodies and political parties supporting clemency." Earlier too, Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu Assemblies debated and passed resolution on clemency to be awarded to Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and Rajiv Gandhi's killers, respectively.

The bench asked the Centre - "What should be the criteria then if somebody has got support from any quarter whether political or non-political." The bench also wanted to know if there were instances in the past where the Indian government made representations for clemency to Indian prisoners awarded death sentence in other countries. Additional solicitor general Harin Raval said he would take instructions.

Raval informed the Court that 15 petitions were pending with the President, while 17 were decided and a mercy plea was pending with the home ministry.

The Times of India, 28 March, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-questions-bias-in-treating-mercy-petitions/articleshow/12434069.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close