The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to explain why Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for the 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, has not been executed despite being on death row for more than 15 years.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria posed sharp questions after Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj described the offence as “serious.” The judges asked, “Why did you not hang him till now? Who is to blame for that? At least, we have not stayed the execution.”

Rajoana, who has been in prison for nearly 29 years, was sentenced to death by a special court in July 2007. His plea before the top court seeks commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment, citing the inordinate delay in deciding his mercy pe

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