IB warns Hawara transfer may impact polls

The Intelligence Bureau warned the Supreme Court that transferring convicted Beant Singh murder convict Jagtar Singh Hawara from Delhi's Tihar Jail to any prison in Punjab would significantly impact the upcoming state elections. The IB also stated that Hawara, who is in the high-risk category, may not be transferred to Punjab. Justice M M Sundresh and P B Varale, who heard the case, deemed the IB's report very damning and postponed the matter for hearing in February next year.

The 117-member Punjab Assembly elections are due early next year. Hawara, serving a life term for the 1995 Beant Singh killing, was involved in a jailbreak and his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. The transfer could heighten the risk of his escape, according to the IB.