HC allows Rajoana to attend brother’s last rites

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today allowed death row convict Balwant Singh, imprisoned for his involvement in the 1995 assassination of former CM Beant Singh, to attend the bhog ceremony of his brother Kulwant Singh Rajoana. Justice Gurvinder Singh Gill passed the order while referring to the significance of familial bonds even in the gravest circumstances.

“The death of a sibling... would put the entire family in a state of shock and grief,” the court observed, adding that the petitioner could be permitted to be with his family for a brief period in this moment of mourning.

The court directed the authorities to ensure Balwant Singh’s attendance at the ceremony on November 20 between 11 am and 2 pm at the gurdwara. Elaborate security arrangements were directed to be made, given the petitioner’s conviction in the case involving serious offences under the IPC and the Explosive Substances Act.

The court ordered the petitioner to be escorted from the Central Jail, Patiala, to the venue under strict custody.