The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant exemption from surrender to a man convicted over 20 years ago under Section 304B of the IPC (dowry death) for killing his wife, rejecting his plea that he had served in Operation Sindoor and worked as a Black Cat Commando for the last 20 years.
A bench led by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Vinod Chandran was handling a Special Leave Petition filed by Baljinder Singh, convicted in July 2004 under Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code for his wife’s dowry related death. His appeal against a 10‑year prison sentence was recently dismissed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court in May 2025.
The contested plea: Service vs suspicious death
The petitioner urged the Supreme Court to postpone surrender, citing his extensive record as a Black Cat Commando and his role in the high-profile anti-terror "Operation Sindoor". However, the Court remained unpersuaded.
"That doesn’t give you immunity from committing atrocity at home, it shows how physically fit you are, and the manner in which alone you could have killed your wife, strangulated your wife," Justice Bhuyan remarked, emphasising that commendable service cannot shield one from alleged private crimes.
Justice Bhuyan clarified that exemptions from surrender are typically reserved for sentences of shorter duration, months or a year, not serious offences like dowry death. Justice Chandran noted that the High Court had already refused any reprieve .
Background
In 2004, an Amritsar trial court convicted Singh after evidence showed his wife died from strangulation by him and his father-in-law, witnessed by her brother and sister-in-law. Although co-accused family members were acquitted, the severity of the crime saw Singh initially imprisoned. The High Court suspended his sentence in the appeal's early stages, but eventually dismissed it and reinstated the 10-year sentence in May 2025.
The convict's lawyer argued that allegations stemmed primarily from disputed testimony by close relatives and involved a demand for a motorcycle as dowry .
Supreme Court's final order
The Court passed the following order: "We decline the prayer for exemption from surrendering. Issue notice on the SLP returnable in 6 weeks." On a request for time to surrender, the bench granted two weeks.