The Supreme Court on
Wednesday declined to commute the death penalty of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who
was convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab Chief Minister
Beant Singh, to life imprisonment.
Rajoana has been in jail for the past 26 years.
A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath
and Sanjay Karol said the competent authority will decide the plea of the
convict seeking mercy.
On March 2, the top court had reserved its verdict
on the plea of Rajoana after hearing the submissions of senior advocate Mukul
Rohatgi, appearing for the convict, and Additional Solicitor General K M
Natraj.
Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was
convicted for his involvement in the explosion that took place outside the
Punjab civil secretariat on August 31, 1995, killing Beant Singh and 16 others.
A special court sentenced him to death in July 2007.