Devinder Singh Bhullar Spared Gallows

SHANTONU SEN

The Supreme Court allowed the mercy petition of Devinder Singh Bhullar moved by his wife, and commuted the death sentence, awarded by the same court as it , obviously, then concluded his crime was the” rarest of the rare”, to one of life sentence on 31st March 2014.

When I read this order my thoughts went back to the early days of 2013. I was the Officer on Special Duty to the then Lt. Governor of Delhi. After long 8 years the President of India had rejected his mercy petition and Tihar Jail Director general had submitted the file to the LG Delhi for orders to implement consequences that now have to follow after the mercy petition is rejected. My responsibilities required me to submit all files received from D. G Prisons, Pr Secretary Home and Director Fire Services National Capital Territory Delhi to the Lt Governor Delhi.

It was clear from the medical reports in the file that while the prisoner was physically stable he was acutely unstable mentally.After reading these medical reports and consulting other medical specialists the L G Delhi ordered that another medical examination should take place and in six month’s time he will reconsider the matter. Notwithstanding the rejection of the mercy petition by the highest in the land L G’s order was an exercise of his administrative powers tempered by requirements of provisions in the Jail Manual which would not permit a man to go to his death when he was not able to comprehend why he was going to the gallows.

For this act of administrative restraint Devinder Singh Bhullar lived temporarily and now he will live his natural life in Jail.