Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to stop the execution of death row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar.
He pleaded clemency for Bhullar on the ground that it would affect the peace and harmony and create law and order problems in the border State.
The Chief Minister, who was accompanied by his son Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, submitted a memorandum urging the PM to convince President Pranab Mukherjee to stop Bhullar’s execution and commute it to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court had last week rejected Bhullar’s mercy plea.
Highlighting the psychological and emotional fallout of the case, the Shiromani Akali Dal president said that he was “deeply concerned” over the implications.
“I have experienced how much the country lost due to incorrect decisions,” he said and stressed the need for caution to avoid damage.
“The process must be started for finding ways to ensure that the ends of justice do not clash with the long-term interests of the nation. In the overall national interest and in the interest of peace and communal harmony in the country in general and in Punjab in particular, the death penalty in this case may be commuted into life imprisonment,” the memorandum stated.
Rejecting suggestions that commuting Bhullar’s death sentence will send a wrong message, the CM said, “It will become an emotive issue. We are warning the Government that people are emotional. Moreover, he is in a poor health condition... what will they gain by hanging him.”
He also cited that the presiding judge of the Bench of the Supreme Court that decided the appeal had recommended acquittal of Bhullar and given note of dissent. Because of this, the case no longer remains “beyond all reasonable doubt”.
Also, the External Affairs Ministry had requested the President to commute the death penalty. All these make the case distinct and unique from other death row cases in the country, he claimed.
later, the CM and Sukhbir also met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
While PMO sources said that they are looking into the memorandum, the Congress steered clear of the controversy saying it respects the Supreme Court judgement. Nobody can interfere in the legal process as the law will take its own course, Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said and reminded that maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the
State Government.