The chain of events leading to the rejection of Khalistan Liberation Force militant Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's plea for commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court:
The families of eight security personnel who died in the 2001 Parliament attack will now take back the gallantry medals which they had returned in protest against the delay in the execution of Afzal Guru.
Former president of the Indian Youth Congress M.S Bitta, who was the target of the 1993 blast that Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar is accused of carrying out, on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's refusal to commute his death penalty sentence to life imprisonment, and added that he would work to ensure it was carried out.
Apparently pained at politics over the execution of death row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, All India Anti-Terrorist Front Chairman M S Bitta on Tuesday criticised the Punjab Congress unit for backing the demand for commuting the sentence. "I am mentally tortured by the Congress and central intelligence agencies for the past 18 years. I have completely failed to face political terrorism in the country," Bitta said.
The Mumbai Railway Police have registered a complaint against three unidentified persons for allegedly making threatening calls to M S Bitta, Chairman of All India Anti-Terrorist Front.
The diversion of security to protect the Shah Rukh Khan movie My Name is Khan offered an opportune moment for the Inter-Services-Intelligence to engineer the terror attack in Pune, chairman of All India Anti-Terrorist Front M S Bitta alleged on Wednesday.
A Delhi Court on Friday acquitted an alleged militant of Khalistan Liberation Force of charges of setting off a blast near the headquarters of Indian Youth Congress in New Delhi in 1993 targeting then IYC president M S Bitta.
Sinha, who made no mention of tough anti-terror laws like POTA that his party is supportive of, maintained that fast-track courts should be set up instead to try terror cases.
The move comes on December 13, the fifth anniversary of the attack.
Sardar Singh, whose son head constable Om Prakash died in the December 13, 2001 attack, lamented that calls for clemency to Afzal, who is facing execution in connection with the case, were encouraging terror in the country.
Bhullar was convicted in connection with the killing of nine people and injuring of 31 in a bomb blast in 1993. Among those who survived the attack are former Youth Congress chief M S Bitta.
The Delhi government has pleaded with the Supreme Court to commute death sentence of Khalistani terrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar to life imprisonment on the ground of his mental illness.
Wreaths were laid on the body of SP (Detective) Baljit Singh by politicians, top police officers, besides family and common people.
The hearing in the open court assumes importance in view of the January 21 judgement of three-judge bench holding that inordinate and inexplicable delay by government in deciding mercy plea of death row convicts can be a ground for commuting their sentence.
The Delhi government has decided to refer to the Union home ministry a decision on the execution of death row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar following a medical board report that he is under severe mental depression.
The Apex court bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Justice RM Lodha, Justice HL Dattu and Justice SJ Mukhopadyaya, while commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment, referred to its January 21, 2014 verdict which said that inordinate, unexplained or unreasonable delay in deciding mercy petition was dehumanizing to death row convict and was a ground for commuting death sentence to life imprisonment.
The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it has "no problem" with commutation of death sentence of Khalistani terrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar to life term and the petition in this regard has to be allowed in view of the court's verdict that delay in deciding mercy pleas can be a ground for such relief.
The Supreme Court asked the Centre to take a decision on Khalistani terrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's fresh mercy plea by March 27 or else it will decide on the issue of commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment on the ground of his mental condition.
A look at who's saying what about 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon's hanging on Thursday morning at the Nagpur Central Jail:
Family members of the martyred personnel and survivors of the daring strike recalled the harrowing moments and pledged support to efforts to root out terrorism.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances