Supreme Court Delays Decision on Jagtar Singh Hawara's Prison Transfer

The Supreme Court postponed the hearing of Jagtar Singh Hawara's request to move from Delhi's Tihar Jail to Punjab. Hawara, serving life for the 1995 murder of Punjab CM Beant Singh, claims no pending cases in Delhi. He requests transfer due to lack of local family support.

The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on Jagtar Singh Hawara's plea to be transferred from Tihar Jail in Delhi to a prison in Punjab. The hearing, initially scheduled for today, has been rescheduled for March 11, responding to a request for adjournment from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

Hawara, a Babbar Khalsa terrorist, is serving a life sentence for his role in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995. Hawara's petition argues he should be transferred as he has no pending cases in Delhi and seeks to be closer to family in Punjab, given his daughter's location and his mother's medical condition.

The plea highlights that Hawara maintained good conduct in prison, except for a 2004 jailbreak, and the transfer would align with past decisions involving other convicts from the same case. His appeal and the prosecution's challenge against the reduction of his sentence to life imprisonment are still awaiting judgment in the Supreme Court.

(With inputs from agencies.)