Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar (File)The Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday issued a notice to the state of Delhi and the Superintendent of Jail of Amritsar over a petition filed by convict in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case, seeking quashing of an order whereby his pre-mature release has been declined.
The petitioner, Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, through his counsel Vijay K Jindal and Vipul Jindal contended that he is undergoing life imprisonment and he has already completed more than 27 years’ actual sentence, whereas as per rules he was required to undergo only 14 years of actual sentence and 20 years’ sentence, including remissions. It was submitted that his case for grant of premature release has been deferred repeatedly without application of judicious mind.
After hearing the matter, the Bench of Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi issued the notice to the respondents for July 19.
Bhullar is a death convict in the 1993 Delhi bomb blasts case. He has been in jail since 1994. His request for permanent release has been pending with the Delhi government. In March 2002, the Supreme Court had dismissed Bhullar’s appeal against the death sentence awarded by a trial court and endorsed by the Delhi HC. The following year, the apex court rejected Bhullar’s curative petition, following which he filed a mercy plea before the President.
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With the then President Pratibha Patil rejecting his mercy petition in May 2011, Bhullar’s family again moved the Supreme Court seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment on the grounds of delay in rejection of his mercy plea. The Supreme Court again rejected the plea in 2013. Finally, on March 31, 2014, the Supreme Court, while reviewing its 2013 order, commuted Bhullar’s death sentence to life on the grounds of inordinate delay in deciding his mercy petition.
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