Cong's Tewari wants Rajoana's death sentence commuted to life term

A day after his party colleague urged the government not to release the convict in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh assassination case, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday said his death sentence should be commuted to life imprisonment.

Balwant Singh Rajoana has been in prison for 26 years, and it is time to commute his punishment and be released under Section 432 CrPC (power to suspend or remit sentences), the former union minister said.

"Release him from prison invoking Section 432 of CrPC. Criminal jurisprudence of incarceration needs to be grounded in reformation and not retribution," Tewari tweeted.

On Tuesday, Congress MP and Beant Singh's grandson Ravneet Singh Bittu had raised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the issue of Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal seeking expeditious release of Rajoana and said that granting clemency to him "would send a very wrong message and embolden the country's enemies".

"Being a Terror Victim I understand anguish of my colleague @RavneetBittu but as a Lawyer & MP from Punjab it is my considered view-S.Balwant Singh Rajoana having served 26 years in Prison his death sentence be commuted to life & he be released by passing orders under Sec 432 CRPC," Tewari said in another tweet.

Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal had demanded that Rajoana, who has been on death row since 2007, be released on compassionate grounds.

Badal had also urged the prime minister to intervene in the matter to ensure his release.

For some time now, political parties in Punjab have been debating the release of Rajoana.