New Delhi, Jan 8 (UNI) The Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre to take a decision before January 26 over mercy petition to the President for commuting the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde was hearing a writ petition filed by Balwant Singh seeking commutation of his death penalty on the ground that his mercy petition had been pending for the past eight years.

Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, submitted that Rajoana has been in prison for 25 years. "The long passage of eight years without a decision from the government side is fatal to the death penalty," he argued.

Pressing the matter, Mr Rohatgi said, it would be possible for the government to spare time for the mercy petition as there is no foreign guest coming on January 26 for the Republic Day celebrations, citing the withdrawal of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson from this year's Republic Day function on account of COVID-19 restrictions.

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj apprised the Apex Court that the mercy petition was being processed and had been submitted before the competent authority within the government. The President would take the final decision in this regard.

The CJI further directed the Centre to take a decision before Republic Day, saying, "We will give two-three weeks. You should complete the process before January 26, which is a good day. It will be appropriate if you take a decision before that."

Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was convicted for his involvement in an explosion outside the Punjab civil secretariat that killed Beant Singh and 16 others on August 31, 1995.

A special court had in July 2007 awarded death sentence to Rajoana in the case.

UNI JW SV 1749