This Article is From Aug 14, 2013

Supreme Court dismisses Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's review plea on death sentence

Supreme Court dismisses Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's review plea on death sentence

File picture of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar being produced in court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today dismissed Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) terrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's plea seeking a review of its verdict refusing to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment on the ground of delay in deciding his mercy plea by the government.

A bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi refused to review its April 12 verdict by which it had rejected his plea for commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment Bhullar 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 MS Bitta.

The Supreme 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 a lapse of over eight years, dismissed his mercy plea on May 25, 2011.

Citing his delay, he had again moved the Supreme Court for commutation of the death sentence but his plea was rejected.

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