SC rejects Bhullar review petition
On the eve of Independence Day, terrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar lost the last legal resort to save his life with the Supreme Court dismissing his plea seeking review of its verdict declining to commute the death sentence awarded to him to life imprisonment.
A bench headed by Justice G.S. Singhvi on Wednesday refused to review its April 12 verdict by which it had rejected his plea for commuting the capital punishment to life imprisonment on the ground of delay by the government in deciding his mercy plea.
Bhullar, a Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) terrorist, was convicted and awarded death penalty for triggering a bomb blast here in September 1993, killing nine people and injuring 25, including then Youth Congress president M.S. Bitta.
The apex court had on March 26, 2002 dismissed Bhullar’s appeal against the death sentence awarded by a trial court in August 2001 and endorsed by the Delhi high court in 2002. He had filed a review petition which was also rejected on December 17, 2002. Bhullar had then moved a curative petition which too had been rejected by the apex court on March 12, 2003.
Bhullar, meanwhile, had filed a mercy petition before the President on January 14, 2003. The President, after lapse of over eight years, dismissed his mercy plea on May 25, 2011. Citing the delay, he had again moved the apex court for commutation of the death sentence but his plea has now been rejected.
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