NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court on March 10 asked the Center to take a decision on Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s fresh mercy plea by March 27 or else it will decide on the issue of commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment on the ground of his mental condition. A Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam adjourned the case for hearing after the Center contended that the mercy plea is still under consideration.
“If you inform us (about the decision taken) it is well and good or we will decide the case,” the Bench told Attorney General G E Vahanvati. It also said that there have been recent cases where the government has not been taking the advice of its law officers seriously and pointed out that last week one Additional Solicitor General sent a detailed letter to Center but it was rejected outright.
The Bench, however, said that it cannot reveal the details of it.
The court was hearing a curative petition filed by Bhullar’s wife Navneet Kaur seeking commutation of death sentence on grounds his mental condition and because of delay on the part of the government in deciding his earlier mercy plea. She pleaded the apex court for a relook at its verdict by which her plea to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment was rejected. She filed the petition after the Supreme Court commuted death sentence of other prisoners on the ground of delay in deciding mercy plea.
Earlier, the Center had assured the Supreme Court that death sentence of Bhullar will not be executed till it takes a decision on a fresh mercy plea on medical grounds. (PTI)
The Bench, however, said that it cannot reveal the details of it.
The court was hearing a curative petition filed by Bhullar’s wife Navneet Kaur seeking commutation of death sentence on grounds his mental condition and because of delay on the part of the government in deciding his earlier mercy plea. She pleaded the apex court for a relook at its verdict by which her plea to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment was rejected. She filed the petition after the Supreme Court commuted death sentence of other prisoners on the ground of delay in deciding mercy plea.
Earlier, the Center had assured the Supreme Court that death sentence of Bhullar will not be executed till it takes a decision on a fresh mercy plea on medical grounds. (PTI)
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