Mon Nov 18 08:25:58 UTC 2024: ## Supreme Court Furious Over Missed Hearing on Death Row Convict’s Mercy Plea

**New Delhi** – The Supreme Court expressed its displeasure today after the central government failed to appear for a hearing on the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death row convict in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

A three-judge bench, assembled specifically for this case, reprimanded the Centre for its absence. The bench subsequently directed President Droupadi Murmu’s secretary to present the mercy petition to the President for consideration.

Hours later, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared, apologizing for the absence. The hearing has been adjourned until November 25th.

Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was sentenced to death in 2007 for his role in the bombing that killed Chief Minister Singh and 16 others. His mercy petition, filed in 2012, has been pending for over a decade. His lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, argued that the excessive delay violated Rajoana’s right to life and requested his temporary release until a decision is made on the petition. The Supreme Court has previously criticized the Centre for delays in processing Rajoana’s case.

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