New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today stayed the execution of the death sentence it had upheld for a man from Tamil Nadu on February 5. It also agreed to admit a plea filed by the convict, Sundarrajan, who has been found guilty of kidnapping a seven-year-old boy in 2009 and murdering the child after his ransom demand of five lakhs was not met.
In his plea, the convict had asked for review petitions filed by him and others on the death row to be heard in open court instead of being decided in judges' chambers.
In the petition filed by his lawyer Renjith B Marar, the convict has also pleaded that "the recommendation in the Law Commission report that all death penalty matters in the Supreme Court be heard by a bench of five judges be implemented."
The Supreme Court today also issued notices to the Centre and the Supreme Court Registrar on the petition seeking amendment of Supreme Court rules for allowing open court hearings of death sentence review pleas.