The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to take a final decision on Khalistani terrorist 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 till March 26 after the Centre 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 had sent a detailed letter to the Centre but it was rejected. The Bench, however, said that it cannot reveal the details.
The court was hearing a curative petition filed by Bhullar’s wife Navneet Kaur seeking the commutation of death sentence on the ground of his mental condition and because of the delay on the part of the Centre in deciding his earlier mercy plea.
She had filed the petition after the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of other prisoners on the ground of delay in deciding the mercy plea.
Earlier, the Centre had assured the Supreme Court that the death sentence of Bhullar will not be executed till it takes a decision on a fresh mercy plea on medical grounds.