Bhullar's death sentence to affect 17 death pleas
April 12, 2013  11:36
The Supreme Court's decision on Bhullar's petition is likely to impact the petitions of 17 other condemned prisoners, who have approached the apex court in the meanwhile challenging the President's decision to reject their mercy pleas either on the ground that it was long delayed or the lack of procedure to deal with the mercy pleas.

Among the 17 are three awarded death for their role in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, four associates of killed forest brigand Veerappan and nine others whose mercy pleas were rejected this month by the President. In all these 17 cases, the apex court has stayed execution of their death sentence.

Bhullar was handed down death penalty for his role in the bomb attack on then Youth Congress president M S Bitta in 1993 in which nine policemen were killed and 25 were injured including Bitta.

Bhullar had pleaded for commutation of the death sentence on the ground that he had undergone imprisonment for 20 years which was akin to a life term and that he had lost mental equilibrium in the despairing 11-year wait.
« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES