Delhi govt favours commutation of death sentence of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar

NEW DELHI: The outgoing Kejriwal government told the Supreme Court that the Lt Governor of the state has already written to the President backing a plea by the family of Punjab militant Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar for commuting his death sentence.

The state said that the Lt Governor had written to the President to commute his death sentence to life as he was mentally ill and was unlikely to recover from it. The Supreme Court had on January 31, 2014, stayed Bhullar’s execution and sought a medical report on the mental condition of the mastermind of the 1993 Delhi blasts to decide whether to commute his death sentence to life. It had also asked the state government and the Centre for its views.

The state’s views were conveyed to the court recently. The Kejriwal government took over on December 28, 2013. A decision was taken to commute Bhullar’s death sentence by the Lt Governor on January 20, 2014, much before the court issued the notices seeking the state government’s views.

Delhi Home Secretary Archana Arora has filed the Delhi government affidavit in which the LG has refused permission to execute Bhullar on humanitarian grounds.

In his letter to the President, the Governor said: “While the convict is not in a vegetative state, his chances of recovery are minimal. The question before me is on terms of moral principles can such a person be condemned to death.”