The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday heard the parole plea filed by Jagtar Singh Hawara but granted no relief during the hearing, news agency ANI reported. The court directed all concerned parties to file their replies with the Registry.

Source: ANI via LatestLY

No arguments could take place during the hearing, ANI said. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on November 19.

Hawara was convicted as a key conspirator in the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, according to ANI. He was arrested on September 21, 1995, tried and convicted in the case, and has remained in jail since his arrest.

The trial court, by an order dated March 27, 2007, convicted Hawara and gave him the death sentence. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, by an order dated October 12, 2010, modified the sentence to life imprisonment for the rest of his life, ANI reported.

Parole sought on humanitarian grounds

Earlier in August, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met the Governor to recommend a 10-day parole for Hawara on humanitarian grounds, citing the deteriorating health of his mother. Speaking to the media after that meeting, Mann said the recommendation was made to allow Hawara to meet his mother, who has not seen him in over three decades.

Mann had said the Governor's role was pivotal in forwarding the request to the Central Government, since the case is being heard in the Union Territory. What the court decides on November 19 will determine the next step in the plea.