Amritsar, April 1: Balwant Singh Rajoana, the death row convict in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, has issued a formal demand to the Akal Takht for the immediate withdrawal of his mercy plea. In a letter addressed to the Jathedar, Rajoana stated that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) must retract the petition currently pending with the President of India within 10 days.
Rajoana affirmed in his correspondence that he has spent nearly 30 years awaiting a final resolution to his case. The convict asserted that the lack of progress on the matter has led him to seek a conclusion to the long-standing legal limbo. “Therefore my request is to withdraw the mercy plea,” he wrote, adding that the action should be completed within the specified 10-day window.
The mercy petition was originally filed by the SGPC approximately 12 years ago. This latest demand follows a similar appeal made in 2023 when Rajoana sought intervention from the Akal Takht Jathedar. To press his current demand, the convict has threatened to initiate a hunger strike if the petition remains active with the central government beyond the deadline.
Legal developments in May 2023 saw the Supreme Court decline to commute Rajoana’s death sentence to life imprisonment. The court maintained that the Centre should take a decision on the mercy plea at its own discretion. Despite this ruling, Rajoana has remained steadfast in his desire to have the plea removed entirely.
