Bhullar case: SC asks him about victims' human rights

Death row convict Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar on Wednesday faced peculiar questions from the Supreme Court over human rights of those who died during terrorist attacks.

Death row convict Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar on Wednesday faced peculiar questions from the Supreme Court over human rights of those who died during terrorist attacks.

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Bhullar had moved the SC challenging rejection of his mercy petition by the President eight years after he had filed it. He had claimed rejection of his plea after a long delay amounted to violation of his human rights.

A bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice S J Mukhopadhya put forth the questions to Bhullar’s counsel, senior advocate KTS Tulsi and said: "We have forgotten those who died during the Parliament attack. We always forget. But, has anybody tried to carry out a research on the psyche of such victims of crime?"

As Tulsi argued Bhullar’s petition, explaining the delay was a "dehumanising factor," the court observed: "Even in this case (against Bhullar) nine persons were killed. Has anybody tried to find out what is the psyche of the victims? They hadn't committed any crime. What about their human rights? Many of them were innocent victims." The bench also wondered why nobody debated on the human rights violation of farmers who committed suicide or of those who died of hunger and homelessness.

Bhullar is facing death sentence for his role in the September 10, 1993 bomb blast in Delhi, which killed nine people. Tulsi contended the delay had turned Bhullar into a mental wreck. He added the government woke up eventually and dismissed his client's mercy petition after Bhullar moved the SC seeking framing of guidelines on the issue.

The bench said the judgments referred to by the senior counsel in support of Bhullar's case were delivered prior to terrorist attacks. The court would hear the matter further on November 15.