The Supreme Court today(November 3) adjourned a plea regarding Jagtar Singh Hawara's transfer from Tihar Jail in Delhi to a prison in Punjab after an Intelligence Bureau(IB) report flagged that his transfer may impact the upcoming State elections in Punjab. The matter will now be heard after three months after the elections are over.

Hawara was convicted in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Pursuant to the Court's last order asking for inputs from the IB on whether he can be transferred, a report was submitted today before a bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice PB Varale. The bench had asked for IB inputs after concerns raised by the Punjab government over the possible impact on law and order.

Hawara's plea seeks transfer to a jail in Punjab, primarily to enable him to meet his elderly mother, who is stated to be in serious condition.

Today, when the matter was taken up, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati cited the IB report, which raised concerns over law and order and the potential impact it could have on the upcoming State elections in Punjab. Senior Advocate S Muralidhar(for Hawara) objected to the stand taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs that Tihar Jail is more secure to prison high-security prisoners. He further requested that at least he may be allowed to meet his mother.

Muralidhar said: "His mother is in the 90s. If at all there can be a jail visit, I have applied for parole in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that is pending. I am on this that it can't be said that Tihar is a more secure jail than any other jail in Punjab; the Ministry of Home Affairs can't say that."

To this, Justice Sundresh responded that usually the Court has no issues, at least with regard to allowing jail visits. However, the IB report is very "damning," especially that any such order from the Court may cause some upheaval in the upcoming polls.

He said: "Normally we have no difficulty, but if the investigating agency says it's very damning, especially in the present scenario when the issues are alive, here and abroad. Second, it will have a huge impact on the ongoing elections. We don't want our orders to be..."

Muralidhar then stated that if the election is a concern, the matter may be taken up after 3 months, when elections are over, which the Court allowed.