Chandigarh/ Punjab (April 17, 2013): A human rights body named Lawyers for Human Rights International (LFHRI) has reportedly stressed that in the April 12 decision, upholding the death sentence of Prof. Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) failed to take cognisance of Prof. Bhullar’s mental health condition. The organization declared to file a review petition in the SCI and before the President of India.
Advocate Navkiran Singh and others addressed a Press Conference at Chandigarh (April 15, 2013)
As per information the general secretary of the LFHRI Advocate Navkiran Singh, addressed a press conference at Chandigarh on April 15, 2013 on this issue.
Advocate Navkiran Singh said that the five-judge constitutional SC bench in 1989 had given permissions to invoke the court’s jurisdiction on protection of a death row convict’s fundamental rights but this recent judgement, according to the lawyer, has diluted the spirit of the 1989 judgement.
“The two-bench judgement rejected his case saying that it involved an act of terrorism so death sentence cannot be converted into life imprisonment” he reportedly added.
He further said that the judges had missed the fact that Bhullar had been admitted to a mental hospital since January 2011.
The organisation also held that the procedure being adopted by the Centre, which recommends death penalty cases to the President, needs revision.
“It has come to our notice that the mental state of Bhullar was not put before the President as well when he rejected his review petition” Advocate Navkiran Singh added.