SC asks govt to submit record of mercy pleas

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expanded the scope of Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar's petition and directed the Centre to place before it a record of mercy petitions filed by death row convicts before the President and state governors. HT reports.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expanded the scope of Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar's petition and directed the centre to place before it a record of mercy petitions filed by death row convicts before the President and state governors.

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Bhullar, a death-row convict, has moved the SC challenging the President's decision to reject his mercy petition. Found guilty of participating in a bomb blast that killed nine people and injured 29 in September 1993, Bhullar has assailed the President's decision on the ground that there was an eight-year-old delay in deciding on his mercy petition. He has also sought fixing of a time-frame to decide mercy petitions.

A bench headed by justice GS SInghvi directed additional solicitor general Harin

Rawal to file a compilation of such petitions and also appointed senior counsel Ram Jethmalani and Andhiarujina as amicus curiae (to assist the court).

The court took a decision to expand the scope as "not every convict could afford legal expenses of senior lawyers."

"There may be some who can afford to have senior lawyers. But there are a number of people who are not represented before us. We would like Mr Rawal to file a compilation of the number of such mercy petitions before the President and governors," ordered the bench. The compilation would contain status report of each mercy pending including its filing date.