SC stays execution of death row convicts

The Supreme Court has put on hold the execution of eight death row convicts following rejection of their mercy pleas by President Pranab Mukherjee.

A bench presided over by Justice P Sathasivam decided to have a look on the procedure to be followed by the President, governors and other authorities in cases relating award of death sentences. 

In an urgent hearing on Saturday late evening the court stayed the execution of convicts Suresh, Ramji, Gurmeet Singh, Praveen Kumar, Sonia and her husband Sanjeev, Sundar Singh and Jafar Ali.

Admitting a petition filed by civil rights group People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), the court sought reply from the Centre and states and put the matter for hearing after four weeks.

Of all the convicts, Praveen Kumar is at present lodged at Belgaum jail in Karnataka, while Gurmeet Singh, Jafar Ali, Suresh and Ramji are in Uttar Pradesh, Sonia and Sanjeev at Haryana and Sunder Singh in Uttarakhand jail.

Sonia, daughter of former Haryana MLA Relu Ram Punia, and her husband Sanjiv were awarded death penalty for killing eight members of her family in 2001 over a property dispute.

Gurmeet was convicted for killing 13 of his family members in 1986.