Newdelhi,Oct 13, 2026: The Supreme Court directed the Delhi government to obtain Intelligence Bureau inputs concerning a petition filed by Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case, seeking a transfer from Tihar jail to a prison in Punjab.
During the proceedings, a bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale noted the sensitive nature of the matter, stating it could not easily disregard the advice of the state government. Hawara, identified in court as a Babbar Khalsa operative, is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1995 killing of the former Punjab chief minister.
Representing the Delhi government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati argued against the transfer. She pointed out that Hawara had previously been involved in a jailbreak and noted that his initial death sentence had later been commuted to life imprisonment. Bhati cautioned that relocating him could heighten the risk of escape, citing a Ministry of Home Affairs advisory regarding high-risk inmates.
Bhati also presented an affidavit from the Punjab government, asserting that moving Hawara to the state could negatively impact local law and order. She mentioned his additional conviction in a case involving a tunnel dug at a Chandigarh prison.
In response, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing Hawara, emphasized that the assassination occurred 31 years ago when his client was only 21 years old. He noted that Hawara's 82-year-old mother is in serious condition, argued that the request is for placement in a high-security prison rather than release, and maintained that Hawara has an unblemished prison record.
The bench observed that ideological motivations can be unpredictable, noting that human behavior and potential triggers are difficult to foresee even if an individual has spent years maintaining good conduct. The court scheduled the next hearing for four weeks later.
Previously, on September 27 of the prior year, the apex court had issued notices to the Centre, the Chandigarh administration, and the governments of Delhi and Punjab regarding the petition. Hawara is serving a life term for the August 31, 1995 blast at the Chandigarh civil secretariat entrance that killed Beant Singh and 16 others.
The petition asserts that Hawara's prison behavior has been exemplary aside from a January 22, 2004 jailbreak, following which he was recaptured. It argues he should be moved to Punjab since no legal cases remain pending against him in Delhi. Hawara, along with Paramjit Singh Bheora, Tara, and Devi Singh, had escaped from Chandigarh's Burail Jail by tunneling nearly 100 feet. While Hawara and Bheora were later apprehended, Tara was captured in Thailand and Devi Singh remains a proclaimed offender.
The filing states that Hawara hails from the Fatehgarh Sahib district and should rightfully be housed in his home state. It claims that numerous false charges were lodged against him following the assassination, resulting in acquittals in all but one matter. The plea also points out that another co-accused involved in the jailbreak was previously transferred from Tihar to a Chandigarh jail, contending that past high-risk status alone is insufficient justification to keep him detained in Delhi.
The petition details the historical context of the case and notes that although a trial court handed down a death sentence in March 2007, the Punjab and Haryana High Court commuted it to life imprisonment in October 2010, stipulating he remain imprisoned for the rest of his life. Cross-appeals regarding that verdict remain pending before the Supreme Court, which has now paused further decisions on the transfer until Intelligence Bureau feedback is received.