New Delhi: Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted in the murder case of former Punjab CM Beant Singh, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court. In this, he has demanded to shift him from Tihar Jail in Delhi to a jail in Punjab. The court has sought a response from the Center, Delhi Government, and Punjab Government in this matter. After this, the next hearing of this case will be held.
The petition argued that he is a convicted prisoner lodged in Tihar Jail and no case is registered against him in Delhi. It is further said that he is currently serving life imprisonment in a case registered in Punjab. He is a native of Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab state. Giving these arguments it is said that Jagtar Singh Hawara should be imprisoned in any jail of Punjab.
Bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan heard the plea of he petitioner and sought a reply from the Centre, Delhi, and Punjab governments.
Hawara was arrested on 21 September 1995. After this, the trial was conducted and he was convicted for the murder of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. He is in jail from the date of his arrest till date. He has been in jail for more than 28 years. The trial court in 2007 gave him death sentence but later in 2010, the order of death sentence was modified to lifetime imprisonment.
On January 22, 2004, he had escaped from the alleged Chandigarh Burail Jail by digging a tunnel along with his accomplices. He was caught a year after the escape. He has been in jail since 2005. Since then, his behavior has been good. He is 54 years old today. From the time of the petitioner’s re-arrest after the jail break till today, 19 years have elapsed. The petitioner has sought a report from the jail authorities on his conduct in the Delhi jail.