Jassi honour killing case: Contract killer files for special remission, Punjab govt denies

Anil Kumar was among 12 contract killers hired by Jassi’s mother and uncle. A court in Sagrur in October 2005 had sentenced seven accused, including Anil Kumar, to life imprisonment. The sentence was subsequently upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Supreme Court. While one of the convicts was granted special remission during the SAD-BJP regime in Punjab in 2016, another got it 2021 during the Congress regime.

Anil Kumar, who was lodged in Ludhiana jail but is currently out on bail, had filed a plea with the Ludhiana district administration seeking special remission. The application, along with that of six more prisoners eligible for remission under the Punjab government’s policy and 14 under Centre’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Scheme, was put up before the the Council of Ministers, which met in Ludhiana on Friday.

As soon as his case came up for discussion, the ministers unanimously opposed any special remission to him. It was decided that he was convicted in the heinous crime of honour killing and should not be granted any leniency.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the jails portfolio, later ordered that the Anil Kumar’s file for special remission should be rejected.

‘A Cabinet minister said that they were shocked to see Anil Kumar’s file among those forwarded for special remission. “We were shocked that the case reached the Cabinet. Sometimes, there are so many files (for remission) that it is not possible to study each in detail. But this one pertained to Jassi honour killing, which remained in headlines for years. CM, who belongs to Sangrur, and some ministers who were aware of the case were first to raise objection,” the minister said.

Last year, Governor Banwarilal Purohit had asked the Punjab government to get Cabinet clearance for every case of special remission. He had told the government that he would clear the cases only if separate files for every individual is sent to him. This was the reason why separate files for special remission had come up for discussion in the Cabinet.