India, Nov. 3 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred hearing a plea by Babbar Khalsa terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara, undergoing life imprisonment for the 1995 assassination of former chief minister Beant Singh, seeking transfer from Delhi's Tihar jail to a Punjab prison after inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) indicated that the move will have a "huge impact" on the assembly elections in the state due next year. The matter will now be heard after February 2027.

Hawara sought to be shifted to Punjab, where his 90-year-old mother and family stay. The court last month sought an IB view after the Delhi and Punjab governments and the Chandigarh administration expressed reservations about accepting the demand.

A bench of Justices MM Su...