Amitabh Shukla /
A piquant and tense situation arose on Tuesday with a lower court refusing to defer the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana even though the Punjab Government has categorically declared that the Babbar Khalsa militant won’t be sent to the gallows on March 31.
With three working days left, the Punjab Government was at its wits end as soon as the orders of additional district and sessions Judge Shalini Singh Nagpal was delivered in the afternoon returning the death warrant to Central Jail,
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has sought an appointment with the President, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister as earliest as possible to apprise them of the situation and request for clemency for the condemned prisoner. He has already reached
Rajoana’s case is perhaps the first of its kind in several decades where death warrant has been issued even though the entire process of law has yet to play itself out. What prompted the Chandigarh court to issue the death warrant was the fact that the BKI militant refused to file an appeal at any stage and throughout the trial accepted his role in the assassination of the then Punjab Chief Minister.
Even as the Akali Dal is going all out to save the convict from the gallows, Rajoana had made it clear that he does not need any sympathy. In his letter, released from the jail through his sister, he said they (Akalis) have failed to secure justice for the Sikhs, going to the extent of calling them “cheaters”.
Patiala Jail Superintendent LS Jakhar, who had filed a petition in the lower court pointing out the legal and administrative infirmities in the death warrant, would appeal in the
Officials said that the Punjab Government has a few options even at this stage. First
Top officials convened a series of meetings immediately after the fresh court order was delivered to thrash out the next course of action which could save Rajoana even now as the State Government believes that the hanging at this juncture could lead to a serious breakdown of the law and order in
Reports with the State police indicate that there is regrouping by the hardliners on the issue, particularly when the highest religious and temporal seat of the Sikhs, the Akal Takht too wants that Rajoana be given clemency.
Protests have already been held in several parts of the State against the hanging and it continued on Tuesday. Alarmed at the protests and the impact it could have on law and order, the police have deployed paramilitary forces in sensitive areas, organised flag march in several district headquarters and sounded a general alert for all officials.
Several Sikh organisations and panthic groups, which have the support of the hardliners, have given a call for Punjab bandh on Wednesday, further complicating matters for the State Government which came to power for the second time in a row just a fortnight ago. (March 28, 2012)
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