New Delhi: The Supreme Court today expressed dissatisfaction over the Centre not taking any decision so far to commute the sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana to life imprisonment in the assassination case of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and asked the Centre to file an immediate response.
Rajoana’s death sentence was sought to be commuted to life imprisonment on the ground that he had spent 26 years in jail after the assassination of former chief minister Beanti Singh in 1995.
The court expressed displeasure over the central government’s counsel’s plea to defer the hearing of the case. Earlier on May 2, the Centre was given two months’ time to respond to the application. The matter was then listed for September 13 on the basis of a letter issued by the Centre’s counsel on July 27.
However, additional solicitor general K.M. Singh, appearing for the central government, was present on behalf of the central government. Nataraj told the court that no decision has been taken by the authority concerned in this regard.
Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice J.B. Pardiwala asked the responsible officer of the central government to file an affidavit and the matter was listed for hearing on Friday.