DAYA SINGH vs UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

The Supreme Court held that while a rejected petition for conversion of a death sentence to life imprisonment cannot be raised again, new circumstances may warrant a fresh plea. The Court found that the prolonged detention of the petitioner since 1972, coupled with the inexcusable delay in processing his mercy petition filed on 18.11.1988, necessitated reconsideration. Consequently, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment due to the significant delay in execution and the circumstances surrounding it, as established in Triveniben’s case.