Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s release request not tenable: SRB
The 7-member SRB was of the view that such a convict, if released, may still pose a direct threat to the sovereignty, integrity and tranquility of the country
The Sentence Review Board (SRB) of the Delhi government had rejected the plea by Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, a convict in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case, as it was not found tenable and fit for premature release.
The seven-member SRB, which considered Bhullar’s premature release request on December 21, 2023, was of the view that such convict, if released, may still pose a direct threat to the sovereignty, integrity and tranquility of the country, according to the minutes of the meeting.
The board had considered 46 cases of life convicts seeking remission in their sentence and decided to release 14 of them while rejecting others, including Bhullar. Bhullar was convicted in connection with the killing of nine people in a bomb blast in 1993.
The rejection of plea by the SRB, headed by Delhi jail minister Kailash Gahlot, had triggered a political row with the opposition SAD targeting the AAP. AAP’s Punjab chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said only Gahlot had supported the premature release. “All other six members voted against the release,” he said on Tuesday, showing the minutes of the SRB meeting.
The premature release request of Bhullar, who has been behind bars for more than 25 years, had not found favour with the police and jail authorities.
While jail authorities were of the view that such a convict is unlikely to adopt reformative attitude, the police felt that the possibility of him committing crime again cannot be ruled out, according to minutes.
In the meeting, Gahlot backed the premature release, stating that the convict had been behind bars for more than 25 years, police at his hometown had conveyed no objection and he was suffering from severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms and hypertension and multiple other ailments. The board, however, said medical treatment is already being provided as it is part of protocol for a convict under judicial custody and hence medical ground, as mentioned by the jail minister, is not tenable.
