The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Centre “last chance” to decide within two weeks on former Punjab CM Beant Singh's killer Balwant Rajoana's plea seeking commutation of death penalty. The Centre sought three weeks to decide on the plea saying the government is examining the issue and needs time under the present circumstances, without elaborating further. The CJI-led bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, why does government needs three weeks, what is it doing? The bench said that “three weeks’ time sounds unreasonable. Mehta said that under the present circumstances, it is advisable to have the matter after three weeks. The bench gave Centre two weeks as a last chance.
During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, said that this man is in jail for last over 25 years and his mercy petition is pending for last nine years.