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Patiala, Punjab: Balwant Singh Rajoana was on Tuesday taken out of solitary confinement and allowed to meet with other convicts in Patiala jail following orders from the office of Inspector General (Prisons) Jagjit Singh.
Rajoana had been locked in a condemned cell since his conviction in July 2007 in the assassination of former chief minister Beant Singh.
“We have issued instructions to the Patiala Jail Superintendent to move Balwant Singh Rajoana out of the solitary confinement cell,” said Inspector General Prisons Jagjit Singh.
“He shall be allowed to meet other convicts and interact with them during daytime from today, till his mercy petition is decided. Various other restrictions have also been revoked,”he said.
A Chandigarh-based advocate, Navkiran Singh, had filed a PIL in Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010, apprising it of a 1979 Supreme Court judgment, pertaining to solitary confinement.
In response to the PIL, the governments of Punjab and Haryana had told the court that they shall abide by the SC’s directions and take all convicts, whose mercy petitions were pending with the President, out of solitary confinement cells.
“Till date, Rajoana was under the constant supervision of jail warders. According to the rules, jail staff were designated, in shifts, to keep an eye on him round the clock even while he was sleeping. His food was prepared separately and checked before being served. He was not allowed to interact with anybody, unless permitted by the jail authorities. Rajoana’s family members were allowed to meet him in his cell. Even his clothes were to be approved by the jail authorities. All such restrictions shall not be on Rajoana, from today onwards,” the IG said.
“From our side, there shall be no restriction on his interaction with other convicts, or movement inside the jail premises, since he is not a condemned prisoner now, in wake of the pendency of his mercy petition,” he said.
Author: Varinder Bhatia, Indian Expressbhai balwant
Dear pakistanMurdabad user,
First nobody is asking your permission neither your advice sought by anyone on territory issue. Not blaming you as cases like you born and bred reading total wrong history in indian schools. Read history from non-biased source and ask yourself if north part of India (aka Punjab, harayana, himachal) was part of hindu India before invasion of British. Read treaty of Amritsar between British and Dalip Singh.
Secondly, you are now safe in India because of us northern warriors who saved your great grand mothers from mughals
Why don’t you demand Khalistan in Pakistani Panjab also? If your are real patriots then demand whole of Panjab not just the Indian part. You Pakistanis make me laugh when you support Khalistan. Go and sort out your own country before you interfere with hours. If Khalistan is created it will have to be all of Panjab not just the east.
If we are talking about freedom then let all people be free not just Khalistan but Balochistan and Sindh in Pakistan.
I agree
Good news
Thank you ji, long live kashmir long live Punjab long live khalistan, Azadi is the best gift.
No.. not really ! Sikh stand together with citizens of Kashmir. We support what general public of kashmir want.. not what delhi want.
Poll should be conducted purely by and for residents of J&K and they can decide whether they want to become independent or stay with India. Put perfect democracy in action and that what our guru sahib jee said hundred years ago.
when they free him they will send him to kashmir to flush out the pakistani jihadi terrorist militants
I hope they free this poor man, he has done his time.
Mr.Gul of Azad jammu Kashmir