Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday wrote to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, requesting that Jagtar Singh Hawara — serving life imprisonment in the 1995 assassination of then chief minister Beant Singh — be granted a 10-day parole to meet his ailing mother.
Humanitarian plea, court direction referenced
In his communication to the Governor, who also functions as the Chandigarh Administrator, Mann said Hawara’s mother is «facing age-related health issues» and that her deteriorating condition is a matter of concern. The chief minister referred to a petition filed by Hawara in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and to the high court’s direction asking authorities to consider the parole application.
“Therefore, on humanitarian grounds, I wish to request you that, keeping in view the deteriorating health of Hawara’s mother, he may kindly be granted parole for 10 days at the earliest,”
The exact date by which the Governor’s office is expected to decide on the plea was not specified in Mann’s letter. The high court had last month directed the authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli jail, where Hawara is lodged, to take a time-bound decision on his parole request after seeking recommendations from the Chandigarh Administration.
Legal and administrative steps so far
The case file records that Hawara was convicted in connection with the bomb blast outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995, in which then chief minister Beant Singh and 16 others were killed. Hawara and co-accused Balwant Singh Rajoana were handed death sentences by a trial court in 2007; Hawara’s sentence was commuted to life by the high court in 2010.
The high court’s order asking authorities to consider the parole plea follows routine judicial oversight of such applications. The Mandoli jail authorities must obtain inputs from the Chandigarh Administration before a final decision is taken, as directed by the bench earlier.
Political sensitivity and past representations
The CM’s move marks the first instance of a sitting Punjab chief minister officially requesting parole for a convict in the assassination of a former state chief minister. The matter is politically sensitive given the profile of the victim and the convict.
Just over a week ago, a delegation from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) had met the Governor seeking his intervention to allow Hawara to meet his mother, according to reports. The present request by the chief minister follows that representation and the high court’s direction to the prison authorities.
Implications and next steps
If the Governor decides to grant parole, administrative coordination will be required between the Chandigarh Administration, Delhi jail authorities and prison officials to ensuresecure transit and the conditions under which parole is to be exercised. Parole in such cases is normally exercised on strict conditions stipulated by prison and law-and-order authorities.
- Who is involved: CM Bhagwant Mann, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mandoli prison authorities.
- What is sought: 10-day parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara on humanitarian grounds.
- Why important: High-profile case with legal, administrative and political consequences in the state.
The correspondence from the chief minister underscores the humanitarian basis asserted for the plea while also referencing judicial instructions to expedite consideration of the application. Authorities concerned are now expected to process the request in line with the high court’s earlier order and applicable prison and parole rules.
Further developments are likely once the Governor’s office conveys its stance and the Mandoli prison provides its recommendations to the Chandigarh Administration as directed by the high court.
Background table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Convict | Jagtar Singh Hawara |
| Offence | Assassination of Beant Singh, Aug 31, 1995 |
| Current custody | Mandoli prison, Delhi |
| Requested relief | 10-day parole to meet ailing mother |
