<p>The Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre to take a decision before January 26 on Balwant S Rajoana's plea seeking commutation of death penalty in former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh's assassination case.</p>.<p>A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that the decision be taken before the Republic Day which is a "good date".</p>.<p>"We will give two-three weeks. You should complete the process before January 26. January 26 is a good day. It will be appropriate if you take a decision before that," the bench said.</p>.<p>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 in 1995.</p>.<p>Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, argued that his client's mercy petition is pending since 2012. </p>.<p>“This court has held that the death sentence of a person, if delayed for over eight years, can be commuted. He has been jail for 25 years,” Rohatgi said.</p>.<p>Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, assured the court that a decision will be taken and the file will be sent to the President by then. </p>.<p>"Competent authority is looking into the file. We will try to do it by then," Nataraj said.</p>.<p>The apex court had on December 4 questioned the Centre over delay in sending to the President the proposal for commuting the Rajoana's death sentence.</p>.<p>It had asked the Centre to apprise it as to when the authority would send the proposal in this regard to the President under Article 72 of the Constitution.</p>.<p>The article deals with power of President to grant pardon, suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases.</p>.<p>The apex court had noted that a letter was sent from the Ministry of Home Affairs to Punjab chief secretary on September 7 last year intimating that a proposal would be sent to the President to commute the death sentence of Rajoana.</p>.<p>His plea sought direction for expeditious disposal of the MHA proposal.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre to take a decision before January 26 on Balwant S Rajoana's plea seeking commutation of death penalty in former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh's assassination case.</p>.<p>A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that the decision be taken before the Republic Day which is a "good date".</p>.<p>"We will give two-three weeks. You should complete the process before January 26. January 26 is a good day. It will be appropriate if you take a decision before that," the bench said.</p>.<p>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 in 1995.</p>.<p>Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, argued that his client's mercy petition is pending since 2012. </p>.<p>“This court has held that the death sentence of a person, if delayed for over eight years, can be commuted. He has been jail for 25 years,” Rohatgi said.</p>.<p>Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, assured the court that a decision will be taken and the file will be sent to the President by then. </p>.<p>"Competent authority is looking into the file. We will try to do it by then," Nataraj said.</p>.<p>The apex court had on December 4 questioned the Centre over delay in sending to the President the proposal for commuting the Rajoana's death sentence.</p>.<p>It had asked the Centre to apprise it as to when the authority would send the proposal in this regard to the President under Article 72 of the Constitution.</p>.<p>The article deals with power of President to grant pardon, suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases.</p>.<p>The apex court had noted that a letter was sent from the Ministry of Home Affairs to Punjab chief secretary on September 7 last year intimating that a proposal would be sent to the President to commute the death sentence of Rajoana.</p>.<p>His plea sought direction for expeditious disposal of the MHA proposal.</p>